The Montessori Blog

Choosing Montessori

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 20:33:41 GMT

Montessori choices

“Schools of Choice” has been a theme for a few decades now in education, so I’m conscious daily that you have choices and I am honored that you’ve selected Montessori Center of Our Lady to be part of “your village”. As a wife who scheduled her husband to observe my Montessori classroom during our honeymoon, a parent who immediately enrolled her adopted daughters in Montessori, and as a Montessori elementary teacher, trainer, and administrator, I believe the Montessori philosophy provides so many advantages for your child.

The foremost that always warms my heart is the increasing levels of independence that your child is offered and provided. As I pass by our classrooms each day, I see so many opportunities for this development. The environment is prepared with care at the child’s size, so it facilitates his/her work. Teachers offer lessons in “grace and courtesy”, so children explore how to negotiate social relations with respect and decorum.

I held a book club in past years for Tony Wagner’s book, The Global Achievement Gap and he proposed that interpersonal skills are the modern equivalent of the “3 Rs” necessary to succeed in today’s workforce. He details “seven survival skills” in his book: critical thinking and problem-solving, collaboration, agility, initiative, communication, curiosity, and imagination. While walking down the hall this last week, I overheard a student talking with Jason, from our maintenance department, sharing a story and then wishing him a good day. I’ve taken toddlers down to their class and am always surprised by how caring starts at that age (e.g. they’ll come to the door and comfort a tearful friend with empathetic words and a hug or a pat on the back).

Recently I piloted a STEM program with our kindergartners and enjoyed each session, inspired by their curiosity, observations, and enthusiasm, as they explored a unit on prosthetics and another on safety solutions for Humpty Dumpty. Usually, their ideas for Humpty focus on cushioning his fall, but one student considered creating a parachute. The Google founders emphasize their take-away from their Montessori roots was to “think outside the box”.

Research emphasizes that these are the strengths that results from a Montessori education. Ervin et al (2010) performed a three-year study and found Montessori children need less supervision, are more proactive in problem-solving, developed internal standards of performance, supported peers, demonstrated academic excellence, and were enthusiastic, curious learners. If you’re interested in this information, more recent studies are available on the AMS website as well as in Angeline Stoll Lillard’s book, Science Behind the Genius. The Governor of Hawaii just shared his Montessori childhood on the podcast, “Educating the Human Potential”. The Child Who Found His Voice: The Journey of Governor Josh Green | The American Montessori Society

Freedom is another benefit touted by Montessori experts. So many freedoms are often listed, such as movement, choice, and exploration. My theory album details these as freedom from “timetables, curriculum restraints, rewards, and punishments. And a Montessorian always understands that these freedoms are offered with responsibility (so students gain self-awareness and chaos doesn’t reign). The variety of choices in each room attests to these facts (see photos above): counting out golden beads, building the trinomial cube, playing a drum, setting the table, and laying out the color wheel.

In addition, individualization is key to our approach to lessons. Dr. Montessori designed the materials and classrooms through her keen observation of children’s needs and characteristics (style of learning). Individual lessons and small groups enable us to discern how students have internalized their understanding and to provide challenging continuation. Each presentation extends in so many ways, and the materials provide hands-on exploration and a visual understanding to provide independent abstraction.

As I share my days with our staff and students, I’m constantly amazed at their interactions with the materials and each other. There are so many other thoughts rattling around my brain and perhaps my fingers will find the keyboard again in those moments.

Thank you for choosing Montessori for your family and for choosing Montessori Center of Our Lady, a school recognized by Great Start to Quality as “demonstrating quality”. We’re about to celebrate our 50th anniversary in the fall and look forward to honoring the Felician Sisters’ legacy with your family.

Mrs. Brigitte Frost, Head of School

December Newsletter

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 22:15:59 GMT

Christmas Traditions

November Newsletter

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 22:04:14 GMT

Thanksgiving and Stone Soup

October Newsletter

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 15:06:54 GMT

More Autumn Fun and Lessons

Autumn Newsletter

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 16:11:07 GMT

Fall Updates

New Paragraph

"Montessori at Home"

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 03:09:45 GMT

Dr. Montessori wrote that “The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”

Our first Family Night focused on “Montessori at Home”. We discussed ways to set up your home to facilitate your children’s independence and curiosity. There are many activities you can tackle as a family to model skills and support growth.

Great opportunities in practical life abound at home with cooking, gardening, and home projects. Be sure to teach your children the proper names for utensils and tools. Businesses like Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Michaels offer classes on the weekend for your children (building and art projects, cake decorating, etc.).

When you start chores, be sure to work side by side to demonstrate skills and share quality time. As they gain competency (remember patience so they can build skills at their own rate), include them as part of the family expectations (like setting or clearing the table). Children gain a sense of accomplishment and confidence as they contribute to the household. If you consider 150 years ago, everyone in the family needed to participate for survival. Pioneer children started young, gathering eggs and wood chips and fetching water. Check the links below for ideas on age-appropriate chores. Consider that by providing these life skills, your child won’t need an “adulting” class after college.

Be sure to encourage curiosity as you travel, comparing what is similar to home and different. Take time to wonder and be inspired by nature. Ranger talks at state and national parks, presentations at the libraries, and other local events give you a chance to build their knowledge base and provide real experiences (not just virtual). Also, seek out opportunities to volunteer as a family. Start family hobbies, like geocaching, birdwatching, spelunking, or stargazing. Be sure to practice skills such as reading subway schedules and maps (yes, turn off Google maps in the car).

Supporting academic growth does not always need to be homework activities. There are many ways to build a strong foundation. Visiting the library often and reading daily cultivates a love of language and stories. Share writing opportunities by keeping a family journal or scrapbook and sending postcards and thank you notes.

With math, it’s hard to duplicate opportunities from school. It’s recommended to focus on materials that are accessible at home, such as geometry, money, time, and measurement. Geometry involves identifying shapes around the house, in nature, and in art. Save up a jar of change so your children can sort the coins and start to identify them. Add challenge as they’re ready. Be sure to have them spend their own allowance to gain an understanding of money. Time can start as an oral understanding, noticing the time of day by the sun’s rhythms (sunrise/ sunset) and building routines. Measurement can be used in cooking and with projects. Estimating distances can start with body lengths (How many steps…?).

Learn to use open-ended questions to build critical thinking skills. When examining art, a photograph, or something unknown, ask your child, “What do you notice?” and “What made you think that (what clues)?”. With STEAM ( S cience- T echnology- E ngineering- A rt- M athematics or add an “R” for Religion- STREAM), add questions on how to repurpose items and how to plan that. Question the historical accuracy or discuss your values in response to character decisions during family movie night.

Start with one new idea tomorrow and implement what makes sense for your family.

Enjoy raising your children in a Montessori way!

A few websites that provide Montessori-inspired toys:

Fisher Price Line of Montessori toys https://www.amazon.com/stores/Fisher-Price/page/8B4C9EA4-ED77-4C85-B048-112A84925709
https://www.forsmallhands.com/
https://lovevery.com/

Some books you may be interested in:

The Montessori Baby and The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies
Montessori from the Start by Paula Polk Lillard and Lynn Lillard Jessen
Science Behind the Genius by Angeline Stoll Lillard
Montessori Madness by Trevor Eissler

Some websites with academic connections:

https://bedtimemath.org/
If you have a 4 ^th grader in the family, get a free family pass to the National parks https://www.nps.gov/kids/every-kid-outdoors.htm
https://miactivitypass.org/
https://storytimechess.com/
https://montessori.tools/
https://montessoritools.org/

Some websites shared on our Facebook page to inspire you with this topic:

Summer Newsletter

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 07:38:17 GMT

News from the Teachers

Back to School

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 13:37:17 GMT

Preparing both the adults and children in your family...

August is upon us and it’s time to enjoy those last summer adventures as we slowly prepare our students for regular sleep habits and for school in general.

The first day of school is always a special one. It’s a day filled with excitement, anticipation, and nervousness. It’s a day when friends reunite and new friendships are forged. We are thrilled to welcome back familiar faces and welcome new ones to our MCOL family!

Separation anxiety is an important topic to consider for both parents and children.

Ideas for minimizing this struggle are:

· Orientation (familiarizing them with the environment can reduce anxiety)

o Family meetings before school

o Ice Cream Social

o Play date with a classmate

o Water flowers in front of our school to start the routine of morning arrival

· Establish routines

o Practice consistent morning and evening routines about 2 weeks before school starts (e.g. laying out clothes and backpacks the night before, packing lunches).

o Gradually shift your child’s bedtime and wake-up time to align with school hours.

o Consistency is key. The article below suggests explaining when you do alter your routines.

· Foster a Positive Attitude

o Highlight the fun (seeing friends and school activities)

o Be sure to have family traditions. My daughters always knew we went to Baskin & Robbins to celebrate the first and last day of school.

Here’s two articles to share more ideas (with research to support them):

8 Essential Back-to-School Tips For Families: Expert Advice From A Pediatrician | Franciscan Health

https://www.franciscanhealth.org/community/blog/8-back-to-school-tips

Day and Night: The Back to School Routine

https://www.parents.com/day-and-night-the-back-to-school-routine-7511704

Freedom and Responsibility

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 22:36:01 GMT

"Roots of responsibility and wings of independence"

Dr. Maria Montessori wrote that “the great gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.” In this week’s “Mission Matters”, Sr. Roberta Moser echoed these words as she wrote about the Fourth of July holiday and how our freedoms provided by the Declaration of Independence and Constitution come also with responsibility. She reflected on the words of St. Luke’s seventeenth chapter and concluded “that many people are more focused on their rights than their responsibilities! It takes balance. It’s not an either/or but a both/and”

Dr. Montessori did not envision freedom as the ability to do anything without considering the needs of others and the results of one’s actions. She spoke of freedom with limits, “You must not imagine that liberty is something without rule or law.”

A story from Love and Logic comes to mind of how a life without boundaries feels for a child. The speaker described being in a room that is pitch-black and not knowing what’s there. He explained that we would either always test the limits to discover our boundaries or be fearful to reach out.

With my elementary students, we would discuss the freedoms found in a Montessori classroom but determine what responsibility accompanies each (such as freedom of movement means moving quietly and with purpose or the freedom of work choice means to share and to clean up after oneself). You see the beginning of these concepts at all levels of Montessori, learning to work together respectfully and collaborate as a young community.

The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner emphasizes these same skills in cultivating students to be successful in our modern world. A 2012 research study of Montessori students by Ervin concluded that “Montessori children had a higher level of self-regulation over a 3-year period than non-Montessori children. It also revealed an association between how well children internalized self-regulation and academic success.”

If you’re interested in learning more about these ideas in a Montessori classroom and how to support them at home, be sure to attend our Parent Nights this fall.

Have a blessed Fourth of July with your family and friends!

Graciously,

Brigitte Frost

Head of School

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel chosen as a pilgrimage site during this Jubilee Year!

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 18:09:13 GMT

On February 19, 2025, the Montessori Center of Our Lady Elementary students participated in a walking pilgrimage led by our Mission Integration Associate to the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel in Livonia, MI. There, following the tradition of Pope Francis knocking and opening the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome to commence Jubilee Year 2025, the children knocked on the Holy Door of the chapel and were greeted by local vicar, Sister Juanita Szymanski. Sister Juanita gave the children a pilgrimage tour of the chapel, where she provided a wonderful spiritual lesson on what it means to be a pilgrim, to have hope, and to ask for mercy. Sister Juanita also showed the children the interior of the chapel and gave them a tour of the convent. A very special stop was made at the Felician Sisters' Heritage Room.

The students learned about the rich history of the Felician Sisters and viewed special artifacts. During the pilgrimage, Sister Juanita received the elementary students' prayer intentions, which they had written in their classroom. The prayer intention box will be kept in the chapel for daily prayers. Together, the students, teachers, Sister Juanita, and special guests prayed and sang songs while in the chapel. To begin and close this spiritual journey, the students carried Jubilee of Hope items such as the Vatican and American Flags, a Jubilee of Hope Candle, Christ Candle, and their special prayer intentions box while wearing handmade Pilgrims of Hope headbands during their outdoor pilgrimage walk. All those in attendance received a Pilgrim's Passport for completing a pilgrimage to one of twelve designated pilgrimage sites selected by the local bishop within the Archdiocese of Detroit. What a blessing for the students to experience a pilgrimage site on their very own campus! It is a tremendous blessing, too, for the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel to be chosen as a pilgrimage site during this Jubilee Year and during The Felician Sisters' 150th Anniversary!

Practical Life you say?!?

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 22:51:18 GMT

“A child’s work is to create the man he will become. An adult works to perfect the environment, but a child works to perfect himself.” ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

We can see Dr. Montessori's message in real time by observing two people sweeping debris from the floor. The adult sweeps the floor to accomplish the task at hand. If offered help, the adult may gladly accept. The young child sweeps the floor over and over again. Any offer to help the young child is generally met with resistance. The child protects the broom because he can only complete the task. Through constant repetitive motions, he strengthens his muscles, perfects his coordination, and gains genuine confidence in a specific skill. It is innate within the child to perform such tasks in direct response to his internal mechanisms.

We have all heard about the child who receives toys for his birthday but plays with the box the toy came in. Dr. Montessori observed children's natural tendency to explore meaningful activity through observation. She created the Practical Life exercises to satisfy this human tendency purposefully.

What exactly are these Practical Life exercises? In all honesty, for us as adults, they meet a direct aim. The dishes are dirty and need to be washed. We perform the task of restoring our environment and maintaining it. However, young children are instinctually drawn to these activities. The child comes over to us wishing to help...to take part.

Our experience tells us that the child is drawn to these exercises to continue his selfconstruction. The child is engaged in the exercises when performing them. Why?

The ac ti vities are easily understoo d from start to finish.
The exercises have visible movements.
They give direction to his movements.
They have an attractive invitation to the child's will.
The exercises lead to more vital skill sets and mastery.
They lead to self-accepted discipline.
They create unity between thought, will, and action.

Practical Life exercises fall into three well-defined groups: Care of Self, Care of the Environment, and Grace and Courtesy.

Dr. Montessori wanted us to aid the young child, not serve them. She felt that adults create dependency rather than personal competence in serving the child. In providing aid toward a task unknown or repetition of a task being learned, adults provide the necessary tools and movement for the children to empower themselves and strengthen their personal competence. Practical life exercises move from simple to complex, shorter to longer, and more extended exercises are generally successive processes. Think of flower arranging, cutting the stems, removing leaves that will touch water, discarding the unused portion of the stem/leaves, getting water from the faucet, filling vases with water, placing the flowers in the vase, placing the vases around the classroom, cleaning the work surface: this is a lengthy process. Yet the children return to it repeatedly, slowly mastering the tease before them while following their will through the art (and gift) of repetition. Little by little, the child continues to add layers to their personal journey and the self-construction of man!

Dr. Montessori said, "Childhood constructs itself with what it finds. If the material is poor, the construction is also poor. In order to build himself, the child has taken whatever he finds in the environment by chance." At Montessori Center of Our Lady, we take our role in our partnership with you seriously and strive to create an authentic Montessori experience for you and your child.

United in Faith and Community as we begin Catholic Schools Week

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 00:13:38 GMT

Since 1974, Catholic Schools Week has provided Catholic schools nationwide with a way to come together to celebrate our many offerings through traditional educational models and Montessori schools such as ours. The Felician Sisters of North America founded Montessori Center of Our Lady 47 years ago! When the school outgrew the Mother House, the Felician Sisters constructed our current home on campus, steps away from their residence—beyond the tall and low windows that even our infants can look out from, the Sisters made sure to surround us with ample green spaces that include our playgrounds, gardens, and wooded trails.

Montessori Center of Our Lady is among over 40 Felician-Sponsored Ministries in North America, Canada and Haiti. We are part of The Felician Sisters Child Care Centers, Inc., focusing on educating and nurturing children in a peaceful and faith-based environment.

This year's nationwide theme for Catholic Schools Week is United in Faith and Community. Here at Montessori Center of Our Lady, we will celebrate the week with daily activities that allow us to celebrate faith and community with our students, families, and staff. Our Mission Director will guide students through a scavenger hunt created just for them based on their weekly Young Children's Worship Enrichment class.

Many of us know that Catholic Schools typically offer a dynamic curriculum. Did you know that we have a 99% high school graduation rate and that 85% also graduate from college? We know from the National Catholic Education Association that this proves to be true. It may be partly because we provide a balanced academic curriculum with key fundamental human factors, including culture, life, and faith. A Montessori Catholic education actively uses an individualized approach to learning, emphasizing hands-on activities and focusing on child-led learning. One of our parents recently shared,

“Our family chose Montessori Center of Our Lady (MCOL) for our children in order to weave the tenets of Catholic faith into a solid educational foundation. Our children are lovingly cared for in a peaceful and safe environment as they appreciate and learn to care for God’s creation. Graduates of MCOL in our family still fondly reflect on their own teachers, their classrooms, and time in the chapel.”

While a balanced academic curriculum certainly matter to a child's life in school, other components

integral to human development at a young age provide the child with experiences and opportunities

that can influence and carry over into their adult life. Let's explore a few –

We would be remiss if we did not mention our collective community service on behalf of our planet. We embrace the Felician Sisters' steadfast commitment to Care of the Earth . Here are a few ways our team and our students share in our collective responsibility toward the planet each of us shares - community communication is 99.5% electronic to reduce paper waste, we recycle, we repurpose and reuse various items (i.e., tires become garden planters, tree stumps become playground fun for core stabilization and proprioceptive feedback, children eat on plates, use utensils, drink from glasses pick up windblown debris from the Sisters campus and more.

We are so ready to let the fun begin as we celebrate Catholic Schools across our country, each bringing faith and community to the forefront of their daily work, individually and collectively. How can you incorporate faith and community into your own life or that of a person needing compassion?

We share Catholic Schools Week with you with this thought in mind - Our world is vast, and each of us has something unique within us to share with another person, whether it be as simple as a smile, the generosity of a hug or more...we can do great things by taking small steps!

We are Montessori Center of Our Lady and together we are better!

December 2022

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 07:33:49 GMT

Happy December, MCOL families!

As we bring the spirit of the Thanksgiving holidays to a close and begin to usher in the wonder of Christmas, I wanted to share a few of the things our team feels grateful for at this time of the year –

Our team's expressions of gratitude must begin with each of you believing in our Felician-Sponsored ministry, aka Montessori Center of Our Lady, and choosing us to start your child's educational journey. For that, we extend heartfelt gratitude.

We would not exist without the Felician Sisters' dedication, commitment, and desire to bring a Catholic Montessori school to Livonia.

For three years, we have added new programs to the changing needs you have expressed. We have introduced our Nido (infant), Young Children's Community (toddlers), and our Elementary (first thru sixth grade) programs to a campus that previously served children ages three thru kindergarten exclusively. We are grateful for the opportunity to honor the Felician Sisters Core Value of Transformation as we bring the programs to our MCOL community that you need to make your professional and personal lives work.

We are grateful to have come through the pandemic without having to close our center permanently, as happened to so many other centers, and keep our operating hours intact to the best of our ability.

Lastly, but of equal importance, we are grateful for us and our work as a team, learning and growing together and individually. Our newest team members are enthusiastic contributors to all we do with our students. Our returning MCOL team members light the path that allows us to do our best for the children we serve as we combine our team member's many talents on behalf of the children we serve.

Let’s take a look at the adaptation and refinement processes of the ages we serve (infants through sixth grade). We begin with a look at our Nido program.

Nido

Dr. Montessori said of the Nido child, "It follows that at the beginning of his life the infant can accomplish wonders – without effort and quite unconsciously." (The Absorbent Mind, p. 54)

Why do we refer to our infant program as Nido? Dr. Montessori chose the word, Nido, because it translates from her native language of Italian to meaning “nest” in English. Our Nido environment wasn’t thrown together on a whim. Rather, and as typical for authentic Montessori environments, we spent months designing the space and just as long carefully selecting the layout, furniture, and materials to ensure the environment would allow our infant community to feel secure so they can thrive.

Our Nido environment has a “nest” like feel for our Nido students. Our Nido environment (indoors and outdoors) is peaceful, a loving place where babies can explore and feel secure. Teachers speak in gentle tones, the daily pace is unhurried, and the classroom décor is understated with a homelike feel. We pride ourselves in knowing each child in our care is a unique individual to be nurtured with affection and the utmost respect.
Our Nido environment has developmentally appropriate material and activities that support the child through each stage of infant growth. Because we “follow the child,” we provide a variety of materials and spaces where infants can explore based upon their curiosity and mobility, not just their age.

You see in the photograph above an infant working with the Montessori “egg and cup.” It is a great material for the child’s whole-hand grip, their budding interested in putting things in and taking things out, as well as an opportunity to introduce a geometric solid shape.

This material allows for exploration along with slow and deliberate movements all while the infant builds their concentration! Simplicity at its best!

Young Children's Community

Of the toddler student, Dr. Montessori said, "It begins with a knowledge of his surroundings. How does the child assimilate his environment? He does it solely in virtue of one of those characteristics that we now know him to have. This is an intense and specialized sensitiveness in consequence of which the things about him awaken so much interest and so much enthusiasm that they become incorporated in his very existence. The child absorbs these impressions not with his mind but with his life itself."
(The Absorbent Mind, p. 22)

One of the many things that an authentic Montessori education does very well is the continuum created from one program to the next is always scaffolding from the concrete to the abstract in all we present and do. That continuum Dr. Montessori created has everything to do with the child in the environment, not the adult. Whereas the Nido student is amazed when they place the egg in the cup, the toddler student refines that movement further as seen in the photograph above. Their wonder comes from placing something ever so small onto or into something else that is ever so small. The Young Children’s Community student also explores and slowly moves toward precise placement as they continue using slow and deliberate movements without interruption, thus extending their concentration.

The Young Children’s Community is carefully prepared to foster the toddler’s functional independence, cognitive and language development, speech, and strengthen their gross and fine motor skills. The environment and curriculum fosters movement and introduces grace and courtesy lessons that promote focus and concentration. An important part of a toddler’s developing independence is learning to care for him/herself…all of which begins in Nido and moves into the Young Children’s Community.

Children's House

Of the Children’s House student, ages three thru kindergarten, Dr. Montessori said, "The little child’s first movements were instinctive. Now, he acts consciously and voluntarily, and with this comes an awakening of his spirit…. Conscious will is a power which develops with use and activity. We must aim at cultivating the will…. Its development is a slow process that evolves through a continuous activity in relationship with the environment."
(The Absorbent Mind, p. 231)

And so, the scaffolding work of the child in Nido and the Young Children’s Community continues in Children’s House with further refinement in all areas necessary for the child’s potentialities to surface without obstructions (deviations) – order, gross and fine motor coordination, extending concentration, and functional independence. Ever working toward that end, it is why we “never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” Dr. Montessori warned that when we free the child's potential, we transform him into the world. We saw in Nido and the Young Children’s Community the refinement of movement achieved first with the egg and cup and then with small apple objects onto small circles. In the photograph above, we see a child using a elongated push pin and making hold on the border of a leaf shape. The result being the child has made enough holes on the leaf’s border to push the leaf away from the paper frame. Quite a feat that requires a child’s ability to persevere the challenge and put in the repetition to accomplish the goal!

Elementary begins the child’s journey into what Dr. Montessori called the Second Plane of Development (ages six thru 12). Dr. Montessori said, "Knowledge can be best given where there is eagerness to learn, so this is the period when the seed of everything can be sown, the child’s mind being like a fertile field, ready to receive what will germinate into culture. But if neglected during this period, or frustrated in its vital needs, the mind of the child becomes artificially dulled, henceforth to resist imparted knowledge. Interest will no longer be there if the seed be sown too late, but at six years of age all items of culture are received enthusiastically, and later these seeds will expand and grow." (To Educate the Human Potential, p. 3)

To give you an idea of a typical week in our Elementary program and how the quote above applies, I chose to use one of Mr. Tom’s weekly updates to his elementary families. Mr. Tom’s words follow-
“In my communication to you last week, I alluded to the ongoing work we do to understand the passage of time (on a geologic scale) with the Timeline of Life . To help students gain a firmer grasp on how history is subdivided into different time spans, we did a lesson called " The Year and Its Parts." The lesson illustrates how we divide our year into shorter periods: ½ a year = 6 months = a semester, ⅓ of a year = 4 months = trimester, etc. We can further divide months into weeks, weeks into days, days into hours and so on.

Our creation of daily timelines, timelines of our own life histories, and the activity mentioned above that divides time our students are able to relate to, have helped to lay a foundation for what will follow on a grand scale. We will begin to discuss longer spans of time in history i.e.: Eons, Eras, and Periods. Changes in the Earth's atmosphere, temperature, and its composition have affected the development of life on our planet (and the occasional extinction of it). With these discussions, we hope to spark interest and wonder about the fragility of life, but on a deeper level we aim to inspire our students to become stewards of our environment.

To that end, we are engaged in activities at school to help care for our Earth . As a ministry of the Felician Sisters, we are trying to reduce wastefulness whenever possible; we are recycling materials that can be reused or re-purposed, and we are composting biodegradable materials in the garden bed behind our classroom. The elementary students will help to collect and sort through these materials in our efforts to become more environmentally conscious.

Continuing our studies of North America , we are looking at flags of the countries and associating the capital cities of each. I hope students will begin to do some basic research about various places as we also strive to develop an appreciation for multiculturalism in our society. Here again, we are laying groundwork for lessons to follow in the future (Needs of Humans) .

In language , we looked at antonyms (opposites) this week. We also did an art integration activity where we examined Mother and Child paintings across various time periods. Using Socratic questioning techniques, I encouraged students to compare, contrast and develop some critical thinking skills as they attempted to interpret the works of art.
We will integrate botany and zoology as we examine the Timeline of Life to see how plants and animals adapted to the changing conditions on Earth.
Children were introduced this week to the Montessori Bells. This material trains students to distinguish whole pitches in the scale of C. They begin by arranging notes from low to high, try to match the pitches with their voices, and will learn how these notes are symbolized in music notation.”

In conclusion, our goal for this edition of News and Notes is to show the scaffolding that exists from one program to another. Nothing is random in this carefully curated methodology for children. For example, the pink tower (see image) material used in Children’s House to refine their understanding of the terms largest/smallest and introduce the geometric solid shape of a cube becomes area volume work in Elementary. The child’s functional independence begins in Nido and continues throughout the elementary years. Dr. Montessori saw the potential in each child and wanted to create a means of instruction that allowed them to have a concrete understanding before being rushed into memorization of things they do not yet understand.

Until next time,
Laura

Christmas Sing-Along

Children's House and Elementary parents are invited to join us at 11:30 am on December 23 for our Christmas Sing-Along* for the Felician Sisters! We will provide programs with our students' favorite Christmas songs so you can sing with us. We will be singing outside the Convent , so dress for the weather if you attend. Currently, visitors may not enter the Convent. After our Sing-Along, you and your child can pick up a small treat from us here at MCOL and head home for the Holidays! If you are unable to attend, your CH or EL child will attend with their classroom. Noon dismissal for all programs . Follow the link below to RSVP if you are interested: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4EA4A723ABF9C16-christmas1

*This event is weather dependent. MCOL will notify families by email and Remind text message if the event is cancelled.

Mission Moments

Take a moment to read our December Mission Moments, courtesy of our Mission Director Miss Gail, by pressing the Mission Moments button below.

Hi, my name is Ms. Katie and I own DownPup Yoga! I am your child’s Yoga instructor every Wednesday at MCOL. Since we began in October, I have introduced the routine of "Breathe, Move, Rest" as the overall structure for each yoga class, and children practiced each of these elements in each Enrichment class. They learned how deep and slow breaths can help calm their body and mind when they are feeling upset, angry, sad, or even overexcited! Students have learned and practiced many poses- some with a focus on stretching like butterfly and ragdoll; others to work on balance such as tree and warrior; others help with groundedness and calm such as downward dog and mountain. Each class ends with a short relaxation (our "yoga rest") where children lay down and practice taking a break and breathing peacefully; they have gotten much more comfortable with this over time! It's been beautiful to see them learn and settle into the practice of breathing, moving, and resting.

Important Dates

Half-Day Noon Dismissal- December 23

Christmas Break - December 24 through January 8

MLK Day (No School) - January 16

Bring Your Parent to School Night: Children's House and Elementary- January 24

Bring Your Parent to School Day: Nido and Young Children's Community- January 28

Catholic School Week: More details to come!- January 29 through February 4

Professional Development (No School)- February 17

Midwinter Break- February 20

Time; friend or foe?

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 12:00:11 GMT

You know the feeling the morning alarm goes off, and you begin the process of getting yourself and your children ready to leave for school and the business of your day. You may start this process each morning with the added time constraints of getting your children to school and yourself to work on time or to a personal appointment. Each new morning gives us the possibility of a peaceful morning. You know, the ideal morning when you can sit down and enjoy a hot and uninterrupted coffee. Your children are dressed and eating their breakfast with a delightful hum in the air. All is right with your world.

How does this day look so different from yesterday's quarreling and tears? What did you change? The first thing that most likely changed was that you placed time in the position of a friend versus a foe. So, how did you go about that? Most likely, you prioritized what had to be done. Each of you needs to dress, eat, brush your teeth/hair, and put on shoes with everything packed for the day. Perfection isn't the aim, so let that go quickly—take deep breaths.

Once you created the "had to" list, you prioritized time. When does everyone need to get up to begin getting ready to head out for the day? You either chose to wake everyone at the last minute or get everyone up early to start their "getting ready" process. Was it a peaceful morning? Yes, you chose to get ahead of the rush. Kudos to you!

So, now what? Each family member is awake? What's next? How do you minimize the stress of getting dressed? You can limit your children's choices to one of two outfits. Full outfits. One or two complete outfits can be placed in individual baskets for the morning, reusable Ziploc bags, and a particular spot on their bedroom floor; you get the idea. You now have limited choices, and your child no longer looks through their closet or drawers in the morning, overwhelmed by the array of clothing. You can do the same for breakfast, brushing your teeth, lunch, coat, mittens/gloves, and more. Providing choice while limiting the number of options with young children is beneficial at almost every turn.

Next up, yet simultaneously, is a consistent routine. Young children seek consistency. It is how they slowly move from the external order of their environments to a gradual internal order. As adults, we are responsible for providing the consistency young children seek developmentally. We are often asked by parents, "How do you manage 20 students in each classroom?"

Simply put, our routine, expectations, and responses are consistent; dependable. Once the child adapts and can trust that our practices, expectations, and responses are consistent, they function within those parameters. Don't rush. Take time and create the consistency that works for you and will allow for peaceful mornings. Once you have unrushed and calm mornings, you can move to meal time, bath time, bedtime, or anything else in your home environment where time and routines can become your friends and not your enemies.

The goal with young children is no surprise for them to navigate each morning. When rushed to move fast amid an inconsistent morning routine, we often experience emotional outbursts from our young children. Let's eliminate the inconsistency and replace it with dependable practices and expectations. Believe in your ability to create the same consistency your children need and you deserve. Gift yourself peaceful mornings by making time for your friend. Who knows? Perhaps time will become one of your best friends!

Our reading process explained…

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 14:40:50 GMT

A frequent question of prospective parents recommended to us by friends and family members involve our reading approach. We get (and love) that our approach is different and based on how the brain develops in children from infancy through sixth grade. Let’s take a look inside the many pieces of our Montessori Center of Our Lady reading process…

Before preparing a child to read (and write), we want to share a few pieces of helpful information that need to be understood throughout your child’s journey into reading from ages three to six years old. Knowing them will help you should you collaborate with us in your home environment.

Reading and writing are both complex activities that require a child to develop many different skills and abilities and use them in concert. Dr. Montessori knew the young child’s absorbent mind functioned optimally when one difficulty was isolated from another, rather than performing multiple skills simultaneously.

In doing this within our classroom environments, we do so for the sake of the isolated skill, and without the child knowing they are skill one out of 20 that will have them reading. We know that one day, using all the skills and abilities that the child has built up, she will find herself able to read (and write). Here are some of the isolated components that lend themselves toward a child’s successful reading habit once a child is developmentally ready from a Montessori Children’s House (ages three through six) lens:

The child’s ear is trained by listening to correctly spoken language long before they are reading/writing.
The child’s speech is refined by practicing correctly spoken grammar long before learning parts of speech.
The child is exposed to good literature long before their reading skills are in place.
The child is given the expectation and time to speak in complete sentences.

The lessons presented to the child are well thought out and unhurried.
The child is given the time to do their work well, unhurried.
The teacher learns when to ‘correct’ mistakes with the child and acknowledges the effort of the correction.
The child is continuously exposed to the rhythm of language through poems, stories, and movement. Indirectly this expands the child’s memory.
The child practices their original ideas orally, first through narration. Through the skill of narration, a child learns to create complete sentences, thus isolating the difficulty while preparing the child for written original sentences/stories.
The child is taught two types of narration; both expose the child to an expansion of their receptive and expressive language processing capabilities. Narration allows the child to refine the expression of their thoughts clearly and beautifully.

Picture narration – the child generally looks at a picture and describes what they see in complete sentences, thus expanding their observation skills and use of natural and proper language.
Story narration – the child listens to oral stories and, in their own words, tells the story back to you. Doing so lengthens the child’s attention and comprehension and assists them in grasping the ‘main idea’ of what they have heard.

The child begins to be exposed to the ‘rules of grammar. ‘Grammar helps the child to bring order to words in their mind. Montessori’s grammar is given to the children both orally and concretely simultaneously.
The child’s first formal writing begins with the moveable alphabet (word building), not with pencil and paper.

"The child must see for himself what he can do, and it is important to give him not only the means of education but also to supply him with indicators which tell him his mistakes……The child’s interest in doing better, and his own constant checking and testing, are so important to him that his progress is assured. His very nature tends toward exactitude and the ways of obtaining it appeal to him." (Dr. Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, p. 229)

As we host Parent Education opportunities throughout the school year, we choose to isolate the acquisition of reading vs. the entirety of language arts. Parent experiences in these events begin with sound games and Dr. Montessori’s Sandpaper letters and end with Story building.

It is important that each parent understands that there is no set timetable for when each child will begin to read. There are far too many prerequisite skills and specific reading sub-skills involved to attempt to make such a prediction. At Montessori Center of Our Lady, we are not merely working towards a child’s ability to read consonant-vowel-consonant words such as cat and bug. Instead, we are working towards a child’s ability to comfortably attack words, manipulate the various phonemes within a word, and have the ability to segment the phonemes at will. Good readers… solid and confident readers must be able to do all three with relative ease and comprehend what they have read.

Our work begins upon a child’s entry into Montessori Center of Our Lady and continues through their Elementary experience with us!

Language as a Means of Self-Development

Mon, 30 May 2022 09:18:18 GMT

"Any help one can give the inarticulate child to become articulate is a defense of his life and dignity."

~Rosa Covington Packard

Self-development is often thought to be the conscious pursuit of personal growth. While that may often be true for many adults, there is a time in the life of a child where their selfdevelopment is housed in their 'unconscious absorbent mind' followed by their 'conscious absorbent mind.' Stop for a moment and consider how the infant learns to walk or express themselves with the spoken word. It is the unconscious absorbent mind at work. Next, pause for a moment and consider the four-year-old child that is learning to use a swing and the practice they consciously put into learning to pump their legs to move freely into the air. Both are examples of self-development. Let's take a look at a small sampling of the ways Dr. Maria Montessori inserted self-development and its refinement into our classrooms at Montessori Center of Our Lady.

Several games invented by Maria Montessori help prepare a child's ear for language. The silence games, in which a group of children is invited to relax and listen silently to the sounds around them and then, when asked, identify the sounds they heard. These games have a calming effect on the communication efforts of the nervous system. Another involves grading sound cylinders, which contain objects that make a series of loud and soft noises, or matching and grading bells from high to low pitch and help clarify the range of different auditory impulses. Games that isolate and allow a child to identify individual sounds of nature, noises of mechanical objects, tones of music, or syllables of speech help distinguish the variety of meanings in sounds.

In language development, adult examples are of great importance. Talking to a child is slow, quiet speech, using clear pronunciation, precise usage, and a varied choice of words is essential from birth, for the child absorbs the patterns and tonalities long before he can produce them. The adult who is aware of the movements of lips, tongue, breath, and jaws necessary to make sounds can give clear distinctions when necessary. The slight changes we make in one sound to create another are interesting to children. For instance, the sound of "H" is produced by breathing out without puffing the cheeks, and the sound of "W" is made without blowing, but the sound of "WH" is made while both blowing out and puffing the cheeks.

Children love to experiment with language. Since their vocabulary and their ability to organize words are often less developed than their understanding and desire to communicate, they can be very original in making their small means fit their larger ends, creating new words and new arrangements of words. As adults, we introduce children to the conventionally acceptable standard of articulate language.

"Language is the most powerful instrument of human development." ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

Young children have a hunger to learn more words and to classify the ones they already know. Edouard Sequin's three-period lesson is our point of departure-

• First period: one absorbs knowledge, is exposed to it, watches someone else show how to do it, and develops a rough idea. Labels are given.

• Second period: repetition continues with the newfound knowledge, uses it with gradual improvement, but without describing what one is doing, experiments, changes, and in doing so develops adequacy. We call this period the "show me stage."

• Third period: one can tell what one knows, use it creatively, accurately, and quickly, and can teach it to others. "What is this?" is not so much a test as understanding revealed. The remarkable thing about the third stage is that it not only means actual competence in the skill at hand but usually, it also means freedom to learn or act on a more advanced level. The third stage is a beginning as well as an end. For example: knowing the name of a specific animal frees you to learn more about that animal.

It is the role that a word plays that defines its part of speech in an expressed thought, not the word itself. A mop is a noun in "The mop hangs on the hook." A mop is a verb in "Mop the floor." The functional role of the various parts of speech and the symbols Dr. Montessori assigned to them are:

• A noun names. It is represented by a large black equilateral triangle.

• An article tells if it is any of them or all of them. It is represented by a small light blue equilateral triangle.

• An adjective tells what kind. It is represented by a small bright blue equilateral triangle.

• Conjunction joins. It is represented by a pink bar.

• A verb does. It is represented by a large red circle.

• An adverb tells how. It is represented by a small orange circle.

• A preposition tells where. It is represented by a green crescent.

• A pronoun tells the gender and number instead of naming. It is represented by a purple isosceles triangle.

Understanding these roles is a conceptual understanding, not a process of memorizing a verbalization of their definitions.

In short, life is often more enjoyable when patterns emerge. It is not necessary to know all the patterns of the English language yourself. What is needed is to initiate children into a treasure hunt to find patterns. If you show them patterns, they will know that patterns exist. When you give them opportunities to see other patterns for themselves, they may share their discoveries with you with great joy! Give it a try and enjoy the process together!

December 2021

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 06:45:33 GMT

Christmas greetings, MCOL families,

We are just eight days away from Christmas and all the excitement it brings for our children (and us). �� How many times have you imagined Christmas morning as a calm and magical experience, only to experience something a bit different? Our children's expectations may not align, causing a moment or two of upset. We get it. We have a school full of children eagerly anticipating Christmas morning. A few things we do here on a daily basis that may provide support to you at home and get you a little closer to that calm and magical experience follow:

Remember that even amid Christmas joy, your child seeks boundaries. You can support their internal need for boundaries by explaining the "agenda/routine" with them before the experience itself. Our routines are dependable at MCOL. Each child knows what is happening next. If we modify our routine in the slightest way, say to decorate sugar cookies ��, we go over the change in our routine at least one day before introducing the change with reminders before enacting the change. Children do best when they know what to expect in the routine and our adult responses.
We limit the number of changes to their routine at any given time. We do this because it best supports their development. Example: Rather than visiting five different homes on Christmas day, consider opening your home to visitors throughout the day. Doing so allows your child to remain at home with the gifts they have just opened rather than leave them to head out.
We interpret for the child when they are unsure of the next steps. Example: "Miss Shiva is telling us that it is time to put on our outdoor clothing. You want to go to your cubbie and begin to dress for outdoor play." " Interpreting is particularly helpful when you are with extended family or friends, and different rules of engagement and expectations are in play.
Be sure to build-in breathing space throughout the day, both for you and your child. Allow the routine for the day to have gradual transitions from one activity to the next.

Breathing space allows us to reset with greater ease.

Thank you so much for supporting our school and our work with your children! From all of us to all of you, we wish you a Christmas that is merry and bright and finds your homes filled with love and laughter as you build memories that carry you forward!

This year, the other sister Felician-Sisters Sponsored Ministries on our campus and Montessori Center of Our Lady were again able to create a Christmas tree for Madonna University's Live Nativity.

Reminder: Inclement weather and building-related closures come to you through a schoolwide email notification, Remind, our Facebook and Instagram pages, and the ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox television channels. We do our best to notify you by 6:30 a.m. or sooner, when possible. Please do not rely on one means of communication for such notifications as sometimes the various outlets are experiencing their challenges. If you have not already done so, please Like our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram.

Now let’s take a look inside our classrooms -

In November, we began to explore the development of the child's sense of the sacred. We introduced items they would find on the Altar should they attend Mass. This is in conjunction with the language curriculum. We are naming the objects and matching them to the picture card. Eventually, the child will set up the Altar themselves. When you are at Mass, point out and name the objects you see. Your child may recognize the chalice, the paten, the candles, the Altar cloth, and the Altar Table. Together we can nurture the spirit of the child.

Similar in aim to last month's treasure basket, we have changed out the treasure objects in preparation for your holiday celebrations. We included various kitchen utensils for the children to explore and learn. While preparing your holiday meals, you have an excellent opportunity for your child to participate. Give them some safe tools to examine and provide the proper name for the kitchen tool—for example, a slotted spoon, tongs, cookie cutters, a teaspoon.

Several of our students have begun to pull themselves up and stand independently. The Montessori pull-up bar was a hot commodity! A Montessori pull-up bar is a safe place for the infants to pull themselves up, stand with an acrylic mirror where their reflection presents itself. Their ability to pull themselves up independently, coupled with their reflection, serves as the point of interest. In this particular work, their newfound physical ability to stand alone using their gross motor muscles in a new way builds confidence. For some, the work even allowed them to take their first side steps as they cruise along the bar. The bar is hung at a specific height to set the child up for success. Like everything in the Montessori classroom, there is purpose and intentionality. The mirror above the bar adds interest and helps the child explore themselves and their environment from a different point of view. The children find joy in their independent movement. It is heartwarming to catch a glimpse in the mirror of their bright smile at themselves as they just pulled themselves up to stand. Their smile says I am confident and proud that I did it, and I did it myself!

For the Christmas holiday, our Nido and Young Children’s Community students created Nativity art using their fingerprints. We then photocopied their art and created placemats for the Priests at Senior Clergy Village and the Sisters at the Central Convent.

Young Children's Community

Our Young Children's Community has continued its move forward with a particular focus on the child's functional independence. Independence is not something that just appears when a child hits a specific chronological age. Nor does it just happen. Often, we hear that teenagers' life skills require independent functioning, yet learning and developing those skills must occur at a much earlier age. Dr. Montessori observed that children are moving toward becoming independent from the moment of birth. Our educational method promotes a child's functional independence at every turn. Dr. Montessori observed that when a child is not functionally independent from those around them (care of self, care of environment, grace, and courtesy), their intellect is then dependent on those around them. Our Young Children's Community students consistently work toward their functional independence at every turn while with us. It begins the moment they exit your car in the morning and continues until they return to you at the end of the school day. Students enter the building and sit down to remove their outdoor shoes and put on their indoor shoes. They repeat this process throughout their school day (outdoor play, nap, going home). There is the act of removing your shoe and then putting your shoe back on... the same shoes, but very different functions.

"The child's nature is to aim directly and energetically at functional independence." — Dr. Maria Montessori

Another act of functional independence in our Young Children's Community centers around lunch and snacks. The students learn how to set the table in preparation for eating. Often, adults insert themselves into such tasks believing we are helping. However, Dr. Montessori observed that any unnecessary help to a child impeded their development. Our minds and that of a child are very different. As adults, we are product-driven with outcomes, whereas young children organically immerse themselves in the process of what they are doing. When working with young children, we must forego our need for a product-driven result and be with them in the process.

"Any child who is self-sufficient, who can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity, derived from a sense of independence." ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

Children's House 1

Part of genuine Montessori education is to experience that each of us can make a difference, whether that difference is as simple as saying, "Hello," or smiling at someone in a store, or as big as gathering donations for those in need. Each of us can make a difference independently of others and with the support of others.

Our students made placemats for the Sisters, and our oldest students wrote messages of gratitude on each placemat. Such experiences lend themselves to organic rites of passage for our students. Learning to form letters correctly (penmanship) now has a real-life purpose for a child. Their written words hold value both for them and the recipient of the written message.

Literature came to life with the telling of the story, Stone Soup, followed by the children making Stone Soup in their classroom. The story is about sharing and then coming together as a community in gratitude. A natural fit for this holiday season! After washing their hands, students then washed, peeled, and safely cut a variety of vegetables for the soup independently of their teachers.

"Independence is not a static condition; it is a continuous conquest, and to reach not only freedom, but also strength, and the perfecting of one's powers, it is necessary to follow this path of unremitting toil." ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

Do you remember how much joy you felt as a child when you learned how to cut your own snowflakes out of paper? Our students received lessons on the skill of cutting out snowflakes by first folding and then understanding where to cut their folded paper to create a snowflake. As students became proficient in making snowflakes, they collaborated to create a winter scene of snow falling on their classroom windows! Beautiful and authentically theirs!

Children's House 2

Dr. Montessori interlaced materials and their aims throughout various curriculum areas, thus allowing the child to build upon each experience. One such example is her placement of the metal insets in the language area as direct preparation for penmanship. At the same time, those geometric shapes are a part of the geometric cabinet in our sensorial area where the child is introduced to the physical form and name of the geometric shape. In the photograph below, you see the student using both her hand and eyes simultaneously to properly trace one of ten insets. Metal inset work does not begin until the child has had extensive indirect preparation using the Practical Life and Sensorial materials. Children refine their gross motor coordination before fine motor coordination. As such, we immerse them in the areas that allow large muscle coordination to develop and integrate into their bodies and mind. and simultaneously develop eye-hand coordination. We never lose sight that we are constantly working our way toward the child's functional independence!

"In this way...children perfect themselves in writing without actually writing." ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

So much of what we do in our daily lives involves our eyes and hands working in unison when sight is a sense we possess. As adults, we often do not need to remind ourselves to keep our eyes on our hands as we perform a task because it has been ingrained since childhood. A key element in our Practical Life exercises involves refining the child's hand and eye coordination. It is challenging to perform these exercises successfully if you do not keep your eyes on your hands. One such example is spooning from one vessel to another. Spooning requires one's eyes and hands to work in sync to prevent a spill. It is not uncommon as the child's skill levels increase to add a level of complexity such as color matching. We are forever building one skill upon the other, strengthening the child's functional independence and freedom in their day-to-day lives. In a Montessori classroom, freedom is not a child free to do anything they like; it is to act independently without help.

Care of the environments we inhabit is an essential aspect of our daily lives. Without the skills needed to care for our environment, floors become messy, tables become dirty, untucked chairs become tripping hazards, etc. As a child learns to do for themselves, mishaps occur. Dr. Montessori created the means for a child to take care of those mishaps independently without adult intervention. The child easily navigates spills. Whether those spills are dry or wet, there is a material ready for them to tackle the clean-up. The child deepens their functional independence in taking care of such mishaps and refining other aspects of their development.

"The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult." ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

Children's House 3

A big part of a Montessori classroom at any age level is the development and refinement of language. Dr. Montessori created the sandpaper letters to teach a child the formation and phonetic sounds for the alphabet letters. Once a child has acquired phonetic sounds, word building with the moveable alphabet follows. Word building is isolated in difficulty every step of the way, so the emergent reader is successful as they strengthen their growing skills. In the photograph below, you see a child is working with combinations of sounds and is learning how to analyze the sounds that make up the words she is building. We analyze sounds using dots and lines. We do this because reading words is not about the number of letters in a word. Rather, it is about the sounds that comprise it. Reading allows a child's functional independence to blossom because it is a skill they possess.

"Language is the instrument of thinking together." ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

Language continues in the area of geography in a Montessori classroom. Yes, the child learns the world's continents, countries that comprise those continents, land and water forms, etc., but the direct aim is oral language development. Dr. Montessori knew the child's mind absorbed language with little effort from birth to age six. As such, she placed geography and science in our classrooms for language development. The photograph below shows a child working with two land/water forms - island and lake. The child mastered the skill of using a large syringe in the Practical Life area long before using the syringe to collect and release water in this geography lesson.

The mystery number work allows the child to refine their one-to-one correspondence daily. A special lidded box has a mysterious number of objects placed inside each day. The interested child may bring the work to a rug and lay the objects on it. The child then counts those objects and writes (or asks for assistance if younger) the numeral on a small piece of paper. The paper then goes into a gathering vessel with the mystery number (quantity) revealed at the end of the school day.

"The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence." ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

Calendar Reminders

December 18 through January 2 - Christmas Break
Monday, January 3 - Classes Resume
Monday, January 17- No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 30 through February 5 - Catholic Schools Week
February 2 through 15 - Re-Enrollment for current MCOL students
Monday, February 14 - Celebrate St. Valentine's Day in the Classroom
Tuesday, February 15 - eTuition payment Due
Thursday, February 17 - Open Enrollment to Livonia and the surrounding communities
Friday, February 18- Half Day
February 19 through 21 - Midwinter Break

What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving season?

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 06:39:26 GMT

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

William Arthur Ward

As we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, our minds tend to move toward gratitude. Perhaps our reflective capacity brings us to those people who have influenced our lives or those we love. Maybe we think of items we have saved for over several years and have finally purchased. Perhaps we think of acts of service we have been fortunate to have offered others. Gratitude can bring us in many different directions and for as many reasons.

Sometimes we forget that gratitude makes us feel something within us. Gratitude is an experience. Let that sit for a moment. Gratitude is an experience. We feel something deep inside when we experience gratitude. Mind-blowing, right?!?

A few years ago, I read a study titled Raising Grateful Children conducted by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and it forever changed my response to gratitude. You might just find it will affect you deeply, too. Here is a link to a helpful page by Andrea Hussong, UNC- CH, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience - https://hussong.web.unc.edu/drrl/rgc/

At Montessori Center of Our Lady, we work with gratitude daily. We do this both as a Felician Sisters Child Care Center and a Montessori school. We do this because a foundational piece of our curriculum is grace and courtesy. What we have added is the feeling gratitude gives us first. We are addressing the experience we feel as an individual. We are acknowledging that the feeling is uniquely ours. We are doing so to keep the experience of gratitude first and foremost in the children we serve every day and reconnecting that feeling within ourselves as adults.

It might feel like a small thing to you as the reader. Perhaps it will always feel like that to you. However, we challenge you to be present with the feeling inside you the next time a kind gesture comes your way or a gift is handed to you. We automatically want to say something like, "Thank you so much!" Instead, be still with the feeling, letting it surface. Express your gratitude with that feeling leading the way. You might just surprise yourself with a long-lost childlike part of you that has been longing to surface. Go with it and embrace the "gratitude experience."

We are Montessori Center of Our Lady and we are grateful you stopped by to read our blog. ♥

October 2021

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 12:02:05 GMT

Hello, MCOL families!

Fall is here, and with that, our exploration of our wooded trails, fallen leaves, and animal tracks (deer and turkey are popular with the children)! Our Nido students enjoy the autumnal changes by leisurely walks around our unique Felician Sisters campus. We are truly grateful to be surrounded by so much great green space daily at Montessori Center of Our Lady.

As several parents suggested last year, we just launched our Hot Lunch program and did so with pizza so their children would happily partake in lunch at school. We will continue with pizza once per week throughout the first semester of school. As the Christmas holidays approach, we will look to add a second day each week for Hot Lunch, bringing your opportunities to order lunch for your child twice each week in 2022.

We received notification from the CDC that Halloween Trunk or Treats are not recommended for child care centers this school year. We will move a more petite version into the school day for the children where we can easily remain in our stable groups. This news cancels our October 29 evening event. While we were hopeful we could begin community-building events with a Trunk or Treat this year; we will continue to wait patiently.

Our efforts toward hiring additional team members to broaden our daily hours of operation continue. As of now, we have not been successful despite creative outreach and various employment opportunity postings. We have had a few prospective candidates schedule interviews with us and then not show or call. Like employers everywhere, we continue our efforts and wait patiently for Montessori-minded individuals to meet state criteria and join our team. We are actively engaged in a Novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of workers. Please feel free to send your positive thoughts and prayers as we continue our efforts.

The Children's House Celebration of Life depicts the passage of time in your child's life and is a meaningful lesson connected directly to your child. Our Children's House team has created an explanation of this global Montessori tradition and the form you want to complete on behalf of your child. We have attached the entire document in the newsletter for your ease of use. Please complete the form below (click button) and submit ONE photograph for each year of your child's life by November 15, 2021 (unless your child’s birthday falls between now and November 15, 2021. In that case, please submit the form and photos as soon as possible). Traditional birthday party fare is something to be enjoyed at home with family and friends. Sometimes parents opt to have pizza delivered for their child's classroom, which is a favorite amongst the students. It is important to note we may not use homemade canned products. With COVID protocols, we may not receive homemade food items of any sort. Food must come from a licensed commercial kitchen and be commercially packaged.

We are gathering a few typical household items this year that you may usually recycle. We collect plastic store bags (i.e., Target, Busch's, etc.), plastic bottle lids/caps, and junk mail envelopes. Our Nido and YCC programs use plastic bags daily for bathroom-related clothing changes. The plastic bottle caps/lids are used for glue in our classroom art areas, and the junk mail envelopes are used for the art area cutting treasures as our students learn to navigate scissors. Thank you for considering us before recycling the above three items!

If you have not signed up for Remind , please do so asap. We use Remind to update you on due dates, school closures (snow, ice, building problem), and more! Gabby ( mcoloffice@feliciansisters.org ) can help you with "how-to instructions."

Inclement weather and building-related closures come to you through a schoolwide email notification, Remind, our Facebook and Instagram pages, and the ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox television channels. We do our best to notify you by 6:30 a.m. or sooner, when possible. Please do not rely on one means of communication for such notifications as sometimes the various outlets are experiencing their challenges.

Calendar notes will always appear as the last feature in our monthly newsletter to provide you with a snapshot of the weeks ahead.

Reminder: MCOL goes outside daily unless the wind chill falls below 20 degrees. This is true for all programs. Our infants may take a quick loop or two around the circular drive, and our toddlers a reduced playtime. Please send in labeled outdoor attire as the weather becomes cooler, including a warm winter coat, waterproof mittens or gloves, waterproof winter boots, and a warm hat. Extra socks during the winter months are always a good thing, too!

So many of you have shared your thoughtfulness with everyone on our team over the past two months by sending in baked goods, donuts, lunch coffee, and more. Please know we are incredibly grateful and appreciate your acts of kindness more than you know. Each time we receive such a surprise a good day becomes great! Heartfelt gratitude ♥♥♥

Lastly, THANK YOU for your cooperation with the car line and for making the process flow efficiently. Over the next few days, I will begin rotating the calling position to new staff members, so, in time, our entire team is familiar with all car line positions, indoors and outdoors. It is essential you have your car line signs in your car and ready. We opened two new rooms this year and have several new staff members who do not know you…yet. Your car line sign is their only assurance you are picking up the correct child. That is true as they learn the calling position AND for placing children in cars. Again, thank you for your cooperation.

Until next month,

Laura

-Let's catch a glimpse inside our classrooms.

Nido

Art exploration – we explored the world of art with vegetable-based paint. In September, children used half an apple to stamp paint on paper. We then used the second half of the apple for our "polishing an apple" activity. After we used the apple for painting, we could place the apples in our wooded play yard for an animal to eat because we used vegetable-based paint. In October, the children used a pinecone to paint a pumpkin-shaped paper. The direct aim of artwork in the Nido community is to allow the child to promote independent exploration, engagement and to learn how to work in a respectful, artful way within the classroom. Indirectly, the child is learning self-discovery through a multi-sensory exploration using their eyes, hands, and mind. Children are also beginning to develop their fine motor skills in preparation for later writing as they also refine their hand-eye coordination. Using objects in nature encourages children to think about how an object can be reused and see nature differently.

Independent Eating – from the start of the school year, we have focused on teaching the child to eat independently. Each child develops at their own pace. They begin at the weaning table eating one-on-one with the teacher as they learn how to properly use their utensils and cup and grace and courtesy through proper table manners such as remaining seated while eating. They then will progress to a community table for two. Children do not eat out of their lunch boxes. Instead, their food is placed on their place setting, complete with a placemat, plate or bowl, tiny infant-sized utensils, cup of milk or water (towards the end of their meal), and a napkin. The community table may be decorated with a centerpiece according to the season, such as a small vase of flowers, a small pumpkin or gourd, an LED "candle" in a sealed jar, etc. The child enjoys their meal or snack uninterrupted. The child can focus on eating and the experience.

Autumn-Themed Treasure Basket - this month we introduced autumn-themed objects in the treasure basket. The treasure basket contains things the child can touch and explore freely while also learning the object's name. The items introduced so far are a pumpkin, an acorn (placed in a see-through box to eliminate any choking hazard), and a leaf changing colors. For older infants, we extended this activity into a picture to object matching. The direct aim of our treasure basket is to allow the child to discover nature in the autumn season and expand their vocabulary. Our indirect aims include developing the ability to explore, learn, work independently, grow curiosity, build concentration and self-confidence.

Young Children's Community

Practical Life – Young children love being a part of caring for the environment they inhabit, both at home and school. For the now walking toddler, exercising care for themselves and their classroom environment is their driving force. Instinctually, the toddler recognizes a change within them now that they are upright, just like many adults around them. That change becomes the internal catalyst for their drive toward functional independence. The child’s functional independence (ability to do for themselves) is the very thing that allows their intellect to be independent of those around them.

Dr. Montessori knew Practical Life activities were the foundation of a classroom and the child’s functional independence from birth. As such, we offer rich opportunities that slowly allow the child to become functionally independent with the entire classroom designed to suit those needs. The Montessori method is based on observation, with the teacher observing children throughout each day and changing the environment and materials for them as their needs change. We do this by providing concrete, practical experiences by which our students do authentic and purposeful work.

Children have success in doing so and enjoy this newfound level of functional independence and competency! Through the work in Practical Life, the door to responsibility and self-awareness begins to connect the child to the world at large.

"The activities are called ‘Exercises in Practical life’ because real everyday life is carried on in which all housework is entrusted to the little ones who execute, with devotion and accuracy, their domestic duties becoming singularly calm and dignified.”
– Dr. Maria Montessori

Our Young Children’s Community affords the child uninterrupted time to explore activities through various mediums that may otherwise be withheld from them because of the potential “mess.” For us, there is beauty in the mess and resulting competence that comes from learning how to care for oneself and the environment.

Children's House 1

All things with intention is a large part of an authentic Montessori classroom environment. We isolate one difficulty before introducing another. Doing so allows the young child to immerse themselves in the new skill being taught versus multiple new skills introduced simultaneously. Such an example exists with an artwork we recently explored. First, our students worked with the skill of tearing paper into smaller pieces. We collected the torn paper in two community vessels that all students contributed toward saving. Next, we learned how to use glue (no glue sticks). �� Then, we learned how to glue in a more petite isolated lesson of gluing small pieces of paper to a more significant portion of the paper. Next, we learned a bit about the poppy flower. Artist, Georgia O’Keefe used the poppy flower in some of her artwork. Last, we created a field of poppy flowers using the paper we had carefully torn since school began and our newly acquired gluing skills (photograph below). One skill builds upon another created from beginning to end by the child as we allow the process to unfold organically.

Dr. Montessori created color tablets
for both primary and secondary colors. The focus of each color tablet is the color itself, free of competing distractions. The photograph below (left) shows a child working with Color Box 1 (primary colors).

While not original to Dr. Montessori, our Children’s House environments have a Peace Corner. A place designed for one child at a time. A place where a child can be alone, regulate, or explore the calming work is the Peace Corner. Our Peace Corners are a favorite amongst our Children’s House classrooms for the sense of calm a child feels. You can see a child enjoying a quiet moment in the Peace corner while using a miniature Zen garden.

Children's House 2

Did you know our Practical Life areas of each Children’s House classroom is the foundation of the program as a whole? It’s true! It is through the exercises of Practical Life that a child develops and strengthens their functional independence, sense of external and internal order, gross and fine motor coordination, concentration, and sense of personal competence. Each exercise teaches the child a specific skill that is first isolated to the work itself and over time to purpose real life work in the classroom. In the photograph below (left), you see a child carefully pouring from one vessel to another. The child pours slowly and deliberately controlling the movements of their hand and arm so as not to spill. Pouring is one example of many others in the Practical Life area of our classrooms. Pouring is done with a wide variety of mediums that are both dry and wet. Examples of real life work in the classroom includes pouring their own water during snack or milk during lunch, watering the classroom plants or outdoor garden beds, pouring ingredients in a baking activity and more!

Montessori math approaches quantity and numerical symbols separately once the child has internalized the preparation needed for such concepts. Once the child has mastered quantity and the names attached to each amount and the numerical symbol with their names, the child is invited to associate the quantity and numerical symbol. In the photograph above (right), you see a child tracing a sandpaper numeral (one to be exact). Dr. Montessori used the muscle memory of the hands to assist students in their learning. We spend significant time with 1-10 as it is the base of the decimal system. The 1-10 materials (quantity and numerals) are larger in size as we prepare the child’s mathematical mind and become smaller as the work continues and the brain begins to organize itself for abstraction. Once the child masters 1-10 in all its forms within our classrooms, we introduce the decimal system. Our approach to education is not only the use of concrete materials to introduce abstract concepts, but we also introduce the whole of a topic first, followed by the parts, and then tie everything back to the whole.

Children's House 3

“The senses, being explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge.”- Maria Montessori

We are incredibly blessed with the green space that surrounds our school. Our students have ample opportunities to be outdoors, both playing on our playgrounds, walking outdoors, and exploring our wooded trails bringing the botany and zoology components of our curriculum to life. In the photograph below, we see someone who may very well become a future botanist taking an interest in leaves gathered outdoors. The interest in the leaf’s anatomy is highlighted through the lens of a magnifying glass. Do you remember how much hand-eye coordination it takes to skillfully hold a leaf in one hand and the magnifying lens in the other using the correct linear order to get the best view of the leaf? It’s no small feat, yet oh so worth the time! What better way to move from the Parts of a Tree puzzle to examining a leaf using a magnifying glass?

Montessori language lessons begin with early language concepts such as categorizing, finding the things that are the same, different, sequencing what comes first, second, third, etc. As the child masters those lessons, we introduce the sandpapers letters, and the child begins tracing the letter and learning the accompanying phonetic sound. Once a child knows the first eight phonetic sounds, we invite them to identify the initial sound in a word. We do this using small objects, which naturally draw the young child. In the photograph above, we see the child has placed (from left to right) the letter sounds she now knows across the top of her rug. Next, one object at a time, she selects an object, says the object's name aloud, isolates the beginning phonetic sounds, and places the object under the correct letter. When done, she will invite her teacher to sit with her while she moves through the placement of each object, demonstrating her ability to identify the beginning phonetic sound.

Calendar Reminders

Monday, November 1 - No School: Professional Development Day
Sunday, November 7- Daylight Savings: Turn clocks back 1 hour
Monday, November 15- eTuition Payment Due
Wednesday, November 24 - Half Day: Beginning of Thanksgiving Break
Monday, November 29- Return to School

June 2021

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 16:54:48 GMT

Hello, MCOL families!

June is here and with that, the 2020-21 school year is quickly coming to an end! I wanted to personally thank you for making Gabby and me feel welcome throughout our first year at Montessori Center of Our Lady, as together we navigated all things COVID-19. In conversation with Team MCOL throughout the school year, we have worked hard to stay focused on our forward movement and finding small ways to celebrate our successes. We thought it might be beneficial to share our accomplishments with you, our MCOL family community. Let’s get started!

Team MCOL met in August and shared how we want to move our school forward. We shared what traditions we want to maintain, others we want to tweak, and things we wanted to change as we work to continue our ministry for another 44 years! Any and all decisions are consistently guided by the Felician Sisters Core Values for ministry and our MCOL Mission and Vision Statement.
We brought back the MCOL car line (used for 34+ years) with much success from our team’s perspective and many of you!
We temporarily transformed Room 6 into a virtual classroom to allow parents to work while their virtual student(s) had a safe place to attend school.
We added gratitude and community service to our Kindergarten Leadership program. This was in an effort for our kindergarten students to see themselves as a contributor and possessing the ability to make a change, whether individually or as a group.
We purchased HEPA Air purifiers for each of our rooms that will last us for years to come.
We purchased a sanitizing/disinfecting fogger/mister to use at the end of each school day that will last us for years to come.
Our Mission Director, Gail, has her office on our MCOL campus, which is a wonderful benefit for our programs. Gail will introduce our Young Children’s Worship program to our Young Children’s Community in the Fall 2021!
We removed various pieces of furniture and other items from our main hallways creating a sense of tranquility that matches our classroom environments.
Our dream of a Young Children’s Community (toddler) came to life and is currently in wait pool status!
We added fresh fruit and vegetables to our daily snack offering to provide healthier food options to our students!
We welcome our Nido Community (infant) to MCOL in September 2021 and only have two enrollment spots remaining!
We created wooded trails for our students to enjoy and allow the zoology and botany of our classrooms to come alive!
We are creating synchronicity between classrooms to maximize each student’s educational experience at MCOL, while providing teachers with autonomy.
We met MiOsha requirements as a Safe Workplace!
We added a mailbox just outside our main doors.
We added a yellow line on our sidewalk to allow our students a visual marker as they independently enter and leave their school each day.
We are working with an Early Childhood Social and Emotional Consultant and will do so through the next school year to build upon our understanding of social and emotional development in ourselves and the students we serve.
We have hired Bright Loritos to bring a high-quality Spanish program onto our campus for our students, beginning in our Young Children’s Community through Children’s House, for the 2021-22 school year.
We brought in Transparent Classroom for Distance Drop off allowing for an efficient process for each family and student daily with regards to the COVID health questionnaire. Transparent Classroom is also our chosen program for our conference reports and a Nido/YCC communication tool required by the State of MI.
We are working with two vendors during Summer Camp with the intention of offering MCOL parents two opportunities for after-school classes on our campus (gymnastics and art). Our goal is to provide two opportunities on our campus for your child thus reducing your evening commitments and allowing you to return home sooner.
We provided our napping Children’s House students with a separate space to sleep, while their older classmates continue working, thus allowing our napping students better quality sleep.
COVID understandably removed our community-building initiatives with our families. We are adding a few community events to our 2021-22 calendar in hopes the state’s COVID guidelines for child care centers will allow us to come together…safely, of course!
We asked and you overwhelmingly responded, “Yes!” for a weekly hot lunch offering for the 2021-22 school year. We will start with one day per week for the first semester and add an additional day or two as feasible.
Next year, we are adding one day of “hot lunch” that you may opt-in for on behalf of your child. We will begin our journey to hot lunch with pizza (sure-fire favorite with the children ��).
We created a small material making room for our teachers.
We relocated our staff lounge, so our team has a private place to enjoy their break!
We added a Team Prayers and Blessings board to support one another in times of need and celebrate one another in times of joy!

We all managed a global virus and the many effects that virus brought to our typical way of functioning, personally and professionally. We did that and kept moving forward recognizing the loss and accomplishments along the way, locally, nationally, and globally. Let’s pause for a moment and celebrate our individual and collective efforts on behalf of the greater good.

COVID-19 Guideline Changes

Our newest COVID guidelines have been issued by the State of MI, DHHS, and our COVID Preparedness Plan updated accordingly. Please be sure to see what changes and what remains the same.

Kindergartners

As the school year comes to an end and our kindergarten students continue their journey independently from us, we know they are prepared. We know they understand they are capable and able to make a difference in someone’s day or the world at large. We know you will continue to instill a strong sense of personal competence. We know this next leg of their journey will provide a different view of their world and different opportunities to contribute. We know they will move on surrounded in God’s love and we pray they will feel Him standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them as they embark on new challenges and adventures. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of their life story. We look forward to hearing about the journey ahead for each child next school year and for many years to come!

End of the School Year

Our last week of school will be Spirit Week with daily themes selected by our Kindergarten Leadership students! Click on the button below to see what theme or Kindergartners chose!

Our last day of school, Friday, June 18 is a half-day with a noon dismissal for all students. We would appreciate it greatly if ALL students stay until noon. We cannot have our traditional end of year Fun Day, so we have chosen a celebration geared for our students. We have arranged for Beverly Meyer, The Music Lady to perform individual classroom concerts outdoors (Activity Room, if raining). Additionally, we will provide the children their all-time favorite, pizza, with an ice cream sundae for dessert! There is nothing you need to do for our end of year celebration. It is our team gift to the children and designed solely with them in mind. ♥

In closing, here’s a glimpse of the past 10 months at Montessori Center of Our Lady –

Until Next Time,
Laura Bengel

Mission Moments - St. Joseph

In the month of June, it seems only fitting that the Mission Moments focus on Fathers. Pope Francis declared 2021 the year of St. Joseph. St. Joseph was a special man and chosen by God to be Jesus’ earthly father. Although not his biological son, as Jesus was conceived by Mary through the Holy Spirit, Joseph was chosen to be the guardian of Jesus and Mary on earth.

Joseph the Righteous and Obedient Follower:
Chosen by God to be Jesus’ earthly Father was startling to Joseph. Upon hearing the news that Mary was with child, Joseph knew it could not be his. His initial thought was to “divorce” her quietly. In a dream, an angel appeared to Joseph and told him not to be afraid and to take Mary as his wife. Surrendering to the will of God and trusting in the Lord, even though he did not completely understand all the details, Joseph obeyed and accepted the Father’s will.

Joseph the Protector – Compassionate and Merciful:
Joseph showed immense compassion, mercy, and unconditional love for Mary by shielding her from public disgrace and a harsh punishment for being with child prior to marriage. He put his feelings and reputation aside to protect Mary. After Jesus’ birth, Joseph continued to protect Mary and Jesus by fleeing to Egypt to escape the horrific plans of King Herod.

Joseph the Worker:
By trade, Joseph was a carpenter, using his skills to support Mary and Jesus. Being a good Father, he spent time with Jesus in the woodshop teaching him skills of the trade. Jesus was a natural woodworker and learned quickly. Joseph knew that Jesus would not spend his entire life as a carpenter for he was destined to serve His Heavenly Father. Joseph made sure Jesus attended school where he learned to read and was taught scriptures. This prepared Jesus for his earthly ministry.

Joseph the Ordinary Man:
Joseph was a righteous, quiet, and hardworking man who was happy to live his life through mercy in action and in the shadows of Mary and Jesus. He is an exceptional model of fatherhood. One who put others first, even if that meant self-sacrifice, worked hard to support his family, taught his children to be independent, and was ready to forgive and love unconditionally. Most importantly, he put his trust and faith in God and taught others to do the same. As we honor and think more deeply about St. Joseph throughout this year, may we also ponder our own fathers and continue to ask God to bless them and grant them the grace to follow St. Joseph’s example of fatherhood.

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads!

Blessings,
Gail Jones – Mission Director

Upcoming Dates

June 18 - Half-Day 8:30 - Noon (Last Day of School)
June 23- First Day of Summer Camp
July 2 - 5- No Summer Camp (Fourth of July Holiday)
August 25- Last Day of Summer Camp
September 7- First Day of School

There’s more to outdoor time than playgrounds!

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 18:02:19 GMT

Children are born to be adventurous and our new outdoor wooded trails naturally fill their desire for adventure, while bringing our Montessori science curriculum to life! We are the first to say we are blessed to have such beautiful green space on our campus! We have a "commercial" playground, a bike path, open running spaces, concrete pads, and 12 raised garden beds our students tend. While we ❤️ love these incredible outdoor offerings, we longed to add wooded outdoor trails for the children we serve.

April 2021

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 16:20:27 GMT

Hello, MCOL families!

Happy Spring, MCOL families! Despite COVID protocols continuing to restrict various aspects of our day-to-day lives, there is something quite uplifting, almost magical, about sunny and warmer days, birds chirping, trees budding, and perennials beginning to reveal themselves to us. Even when winter was gentler than years past, spring remains uplifting.

It’s hard to believe the current school year is quickly reaching an end, and Summer Camp 2021 is preparing to kick-off, and yet here we are! We thought you might enjoy a short introduction to the owners of Gymnastics Dreams and Abrakadoodle, our two outside Summer Camp Children’s House week-long vendors. Children’s House Summer Camp enrollment is at capacity for several weeks, with all other weeks close behind. We have reached our capacity for children six years and up. The limited spaces remaining for each week are for children, ages three through kindergarten.

april 2021 april 2021

april 2021

Exit Surveys

We are also creating an exit survey for families moving on as elementary beckons a change for them educationally (for the time being, anyway ��). We hope to learn what you enjoyed about your time with us, as well as any ideas or thoughts you want to share with us as you move on. Please know your response will help us as we work to move MCOL forward, and we genuinely seek your input. We hope you will take a few minutes and respond to the exit survey when sent to you in mid-June.

april 2021

april 2021 april 2021 We are also creating an exit survey for families moving on as elementary beckons a change for them educationally (for the time being, anyway ��). We hope to learn what you enjoyed about your time with us, as well as any ideas or thoughts you want to share with us as you move on. Please know your response will help us as we work to move MCOL forward, and we genuinely seek your input. We hope you will take a few minutes and respond to the exit survey when sent to you in mid-June.

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april 2021

Wooded Trails at MCOL!

april 2021 april 2021 Snack Schedules

Please let us know if you are finding it helpful to receive our daily snack list. Two parents reached out and asked for it so they could work around our snack list and their child’s lunch. We thought the rest of our community might find it helpful, too! You will note with our first two snack lists that cereal with milk appears. Beyond nutritional components defined by the federal government, we also teach our students practical life skills. Learning to eat cereal is such a skill. Once we feel the skill has been mastered by most, we will move to another helpful life skill through our snack offerings.

april 2021

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april 2021 Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-teacher end-of-year conferences are fast approaching. We will offer them outdoors with all adults wearing face masks that cover both noses and mouths and maintain physical distancing of 6 feet. We are following Public Health protocols as we have done all year, and will continue to do until governing agencies advise otherwise. Teachers can arrange for Zoom meetings if that is your preference as opposed to an on-campus conference. Teachers will clean, sanitize, and disinfect the outdoor conference table and chairs in between each conference. Hand sanitizer will also be at the conference table.

april 2021 Kindergartners - Moving Forward

We are working with Public Health to determine what we may safely do for our kindergarten students as they prepare to move on. We have been asked to wait a few weeks before finalizing decisions due to the current surge in COVID cases in MI. I will reach out to governing agencies in mid-May to determine the next steps.

Teacher Appreciation Week

The week of Monday, May 3 through Friday, May 7, 2021, is Teacher Appreciation Week nationally. Our goal is a mutual expression (home and school) of love and appreciation for our team. We have nine team members. Each day will be a special offering created with their preferences in mind.

Monday – Breakfast
Tuesday – Flower bouquets and chocolates (milk and dark)
Wednesday – Lunch (Provided by MCOL Administration)
Thursday – Gift bags with small treats filled by you!
Friday – Ice cream sundae bar

Gabby has prepared a Sign-Up Genius that allows you to sign-up for the day of your choosing and the item you want to contribute (link below). You are invited to drop off your items in car line (we will have a cart outside for easy transport).

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4EA4A723ABF9C16-teacher

april 2021 Let’s peek inside each classroom, including our newest offering,

april 2021

april 2021 Nido (Infants) –

Our Nido classroom is currently under development with our youngest students joining us in September 2021. We already have three infants enrolled with parents excited for the opportunity to attend an authentic Montessori infant program. Here’s a view of the intimate breastfeeding areas for moms –

april 2021 Young Children's Community -

Our Young Children’s Community has added some new work that allows our toddlers to explore care of their indoor environment! Doing so allows the child to follow through on their completion of a work cycle and needs after a spill (wet or dry). No longer does the child need an adult to navigate their spills. The skill set is under construction with them (you’re welcome ��)!

april 2021 Children's House -

Children’s House students are busy preparing to ready their outdoor raised garden beds for planting. Students took part in seed germination work and soil will be delivered in the weeks ahead. Our Summer Camp Earth Explorers will maintain the raised garden beds throughout their Summer Camp experience! Children’s House students will plant a variety of vegetables, fruit, and perennials. We had hoped to host a Family Gardening Day on a Saturday morning in May. However, that is no longer an option due to health and safety protocols due to the pandemic. No worries, we are ready for May 2022 if we can hold such an event at that time!

april 2021 april 2021 Mission Moments-

april 2021 april 2021 The Easter Promise The smell of spring is in the air, birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, buds are emerging, the sun is shining and the days are getting longer. Can this be a coincidence that it’s also the Easter Season? I don’t think so. For with God everything is masterfully and purposefully orchestrated. Isn’t it incredible that with the renewal of life in the spring we also experience Easter Joy; the promise of everlasting life through the resurrection of the Lord?!

While the Easter Story has a beautiful ending, it has many fiercely challenging experiences. Can you imagine enduring the suffering Jesus did? Or the pain his mother and father went through watching him take up his cross? I ask myself “How did they do it?” They each accepted and surrendered completely to the will of God; putting all their faith and trust in him. It all began with the angel, Gabriel, announcing to Mary that she would conceive through the Holy Spirit and bear the savior of the World. She responded with, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38). Complete surrender. Joseph in a dream was instructed not to divorce Mary but to take her as his wife. Again, complete surrender. Jesus, knowing he would be put to death so we could be forgiven for our sins and have everlasting life, completely surrendered.

When you are faced with a hardship or difficulty in your life, how will you carry your cross? Let Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the Easter Story be your inspiration. Surrender your troubles completely to God and ask for the strength to persevere. Remember, Jesus promised he would never abandon us; he would be with us always, forgive us for our sins and offer everlasting life. What an awesome gift of Love! May each of us hold the faith ever near and rejoice in the Promise of Easter always! ALLELULIA, ALLELUIA!

In Prayer, Gail Jones – Mission Director

april 2021 Upcoming Dates-

May 3-7 - Teacher Appreciation Week
May 28 - No School (Professional Developement Day)
May 31 - No School (Memorial Day)
June 18 - Half-Day 7:30-Noon (Last Day of School

The Absorbent Mind of a Child: Unconscious to Conscious

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 12:17:28 GMT

I am sure we can all agree that a toddler's mind is a glorious thing and nothing short of miraculous! With our unspoken agreement in mind, let's go further and explore the transition from the unconscious (birth to three) to conscious (ages three to six years) absorbent mind.

Let’s start with the following bullets from Montessori educator, Sue Kennedy –

"The job of the infant is being, deciding to be.
The job of the toddler is to do.
The job of the preschool child is to think."

Our focus in this blog is the toddler's mental transition from the period of the unconscious absorbent mind to the conscious absorbent mind. Toddlers initially straddle both periods as the transition is underway. We must keep that information in our minds as the adults guiding these amazing beings!

March 2021

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 09:51:17 GMT

Hello, MCOL families!

I don't know about you, but we find it surreal that the 2020-21 school year is in the last semester of the school year, and Summer is quickly approaching! Uplifting reveals for Team MCOL have been birds chirping and the sun shining brightly for days at a me. We hope you have found your uplifting moments as individuals and a family!

Nido News!

We are equally pleased to share that we have hired Christina Painter as Lead Teacher for our Nido (infant) program, which joins our campus in September 2021. Additionally, we have already enrolled three Nido students, which confirms parental desire for Montessori infant care in Livonia and her surrounding communities. It says something wonderful when enrolling without the Nido environment staged and ready for parents to view. We hope you will celebrate with us as we welcome the newest of our full-day programs to MCOL! Christina wanted to introduce herself to you-

On a personal note, I have known Christina for 17 years and am delighted to have Christina join our team and lead us forward with our soon-to-be youngest students.

Young Children's Community

Miss Dalbir and Miss Nada continue to support Miss Jody as needed. Miss Nada will join Miss Jody and Jessica for the remainder of the school year, as we welcome in our newest YCC friends over the next six weeks.

Hot Lunch Proposal

Next school year, we would like to offer one day each week with pizza as a hot lunch option. We would order both cheese and pepperoni pizza for purchase, thus providing you the opportunity to have one day each week; you need not concern yourself with packing a lunch or having your child help you pack their lunch. Gabby would create a sign-up sheet for you one month ahead of me and send it home. In turn, you would complete the form with the number of slices your child wants and pizza type and return the completed form and money to us. Please respond if this idea is of interest to you, so we know whether to move forward.

Updates and Reminders

Pandemic Protocols

Pandemic protocols remain in place for our Center without ease in applicaon from the State of MI. Now, we are unsure whether we can facilitate our end-of-the-year picnic and maintain the required physical distancing and mask protocols as required. We are certain that any violaon of the State of MI's protocols can close our school, either temporarily or permanently. We connue to monitor updates closely and will inform you of any changes that allow us to gather in some form and maintain full compliance

Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 3-7, 2021, and I would love your support in making the week special for our team! Gabby and I will reach out as we return from Spring Break with daily themes for our team. You are welcome to take part in all, one or none...your choice! The year has been full of challenges unique to MCOL and universal challenges across the child care industry. Our team has responded to each challenge and turned the various experiences into learning opportunities. We are stronger together, and this year has affirmed that message!

Check Us Out On Instagram!

If you missed our Remind announcement, we are now on Instagram! Follow us @montessori.centerofourlady as we connue our move forward. We look forward to seeing you on Instagram and Facebook!

Upcoming Calendar Reminders

March 29 - through April 2 - Spring Break (school closed)
April 5 - School resumes
April 12 - Parent-teacher end of year conference sign-up begins Conferences will be in person and outdoors with parents/teachers in masks since conferences will last longer than 15 minutes. If you prefer a Zoom conference, you may let your child's teacher know.
May 3-7 - Teacher Appreciation Week
May 3 - May Crowning Celebration
May 28 - Professional Development Day for staff; school closed

May 31 - Memorial Day/No school

Mission Moments: Growing Closer to Jesus

How can this be? Didn’t we just celebrate Advent and Christmas? Now here we are, in the midst of Lent preparing for Jesus to rise at Easter. We opened the Lenten season at MCOL with the distribution of ashes to staff and children to Remember we are dust and to dust we shall return. Genesis 3:19

Lent is the 40 days before Easter. Have you ever wondered why 40 days? Well, the number 40 generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation such as the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert fasting, praying and resisting temptation, when God flooded the earth for 40 days and 40 nights and Moses wandering the desert for 40 years. These are just a few examples of the 146 mes the number 40 is mentioned throughout scripture. So, what does this mean for you and me? Well, these 40 days are a good opportunity for us to grow closer to Jesus through prayer, reflection, sacrifice and almsgiving. There are so many booklets, one-minute mediations and on-line reflections in which to choose that it can be overwhelming and to be quite honest, some of them just don’t seem to resonate with everyday life. I’ve been reading Embrace this Holy Season by Fr. Joseph F. Sica. (Twenty-Third Publications). I like this booklet because it is an easy read; concise and relatable. If you’re looking for something on- line, just a few short minutes a day, Dynamic Catholic is an awesome choice...SO GOOD! Click on www.dynamiccatholic.com to receive your daily reflection right into your inbox daily.

No matter what reflection or mediation you choose, I hope you will give yourself the gift of selecting something. Spending just a few minutes each day in prayer, thought or reflection is a wonderful way to develop a deeper connection with Jesus. You will be amazed at how your life will be transformed when you nurture and grow your spiritual relationship. In a world filled with schedules and responsibilities to family, friends and work; all this will seem more manageable if you take me to slow down, take a deep breath and enjoy a few minutes talking and listening to the one who loves you unconditionally, forgives you always and will never abandon you. Developing a more prayerful relationship with Jesus is just one aspect of Lent. We can also improve our relationship with Jesus through self-sacrifice (giving up something that perhaps gets in the way of spending more me with Jesus. I know self-sacrifice isn’t easy. Just the word “sacrifice” stirs up a negative connotation. Perhaps each me you reach for that item that you have “given-up”, it can be a reminder that Jesus gave up his life, so we could have everlasting life in heaven.

Finally, there’s almsgiving. Lent is a good me to think how fortunate we are and how we can share with those less fortunate. Here are a couple of suggestions: Try the 40 day challenge. Look through your household items, closets, basement etc., and challenge yourself to select one item each day for 40 days to donate to your local donation center such as the Salvation Army, St. Vincent DePaul, Veterans, etc. At the end of 40 days you will have done a lile spring cleaning and given to those in need. What about donating to a local food bank? Did you know that food pantries are the emptiest in April? You can help replenish the food pantries with nonperishable food items or through a monetary donation.

Keep in mind that even though we are going into week four of Lent, it’s never too late to start your Lenten experience. May you be blessed with contentment in your heart and immeasurable love as you travel on your Lenten journey.

In Prayer,
Gail Jones Mission Director

Mission Statement: Guided by our Catholic and Felician traditions, we nurture and educate the whole child in a peaceful and faith-filled environment.

Vision Statement: Provide a foundation by which children reach their full potential guided by Felician Core Values.

A Felician - Sponsored Ministry

Respect for Human Dignity * Compassion * Transformation * Solidarity with the Poor * Jusce & Peace

Montessori Center of Our Lady | 14200 Newburgh Road, Livonia, MI 48154

January 2021

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 21:13:58 GMT

Hello, MCOL families!

We are excited to introduce you to our new Office Manager, Gabby. Gabby joins our team on Monday, February 1 and we are excited to welcome her! Gabby created an introductory paragraph from her to you –

Website:

Please take a minute to explore our new MCOL website. It is up and live here! We couldn’t be happier with the results and are confident you will enjoy browsing, too!

Reminder:

Re-enrollment information for the 2021-22 school year will come home to you electronically on Wednesday, February 3, 2021. We have reserved an exclusive re-enrollment period for our current MCOL families before we open enrollment to Livonia and her surrounding communities, which takes place from Wednesday, February 3 through Wednesday, February 17, 2021. On Thursday, February 18, enrollment is open to families looking to join our community.

Catholic Schools Week:

SUNDAY, January 31, 2021: Scheduled Tours for New Families: 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

MONDAY, February 1, 2021: Parent Appreciation and Pajama Day

Children and Team Members are welcome to wear their pajamas to school

TUESDAY, February 2, 2021: Favorite Book Day

Children bring your favorite non-electronic book to school to read or share with a friend in your cohort

WEDNESDAY, February 3, 2021: Community Appreciation, Inside Out and Mismatch Day

Children and Team Members wear your clothing inside out or mismatched

THURSDAY, February 4, 2021: Staff Appreciation and Sports Team and Jeans Day:

Children and Team Members wear your favorite sports team hat, jersey, sweatshirt and jeans

FRIDAY, February 5, 2021: Faith Appreciation and Silly, Crazy Hair and Jeans Day:

Children and Team Members create silly, crazy hair and wear your favorite jeans

Mission Moments - A Love Letter to Jesus

February! The month of hearts, flowers, chocolates, love and Valentine’s. I remember being a child and looking forward to the day the teacher would say, “Class, don’t forget your tissue boxes, we’re going to be decorating them for Valentine’s Day.” The next day, my classmates and I would anxiously stand in line with our boxes. The girls would be holding them every so very carefully as if they were protecting a helpless child. The boys, on the other hand, would be wearing them as hats, using them as a sword or putting them on their feet like ice skates. Oh, to be young again and experience the innocence of childhood and the excitement of receiving a special valentine from that certain someone.

How blessed are we as parents? We have the chance to be young again by reliving our childhood memories through our children! We share their happiness, their sorrows, their “firsts” and all their milestones. We’re there to give them great big hugs, catch them when they fall and rejoice in their accomplishments. It’s in these moments that we remember the words our parents uttered so many times before, “Wait until you have children of your own, then you’ll understand.” Like a lightning bolt, it all makes sense…unconditional love. You know the feeling. It’s the one you had the first time you held your newborn baby. You would do anything, to love, care and protect your sweet little one. Even give your own life if that meant keeping them safe.

Well, that’s exactly how Jesus feels. No matter how young, how old, how broken, how “imperfect”, Jesus loves us all the time, every time no matter what. He is our model of unconditional and infinite love. Even in times when we think we are not worthy of being loved, he loves us. He stands ready to welcome us into his arms always. Ephesians 3:18-19 beautifully illustrates the vastness of Jesus’ love for each one of us.

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:18-19)

Wow, that is so awesome and at the same time almost unfathomable. As a parent yourself, you can relate, it’s how you feel about your own child. As I write this reflection and think about Valentine’s Day, I realize that the Bible is full of Love Letters from Jesus to each one of us. There are so many scriptures reassuring us of His individual, unfailing and infinite love. The verse above is just one of many.

So, as you celebrate Valentine’s Day with those you love and cherish, consider taking a few minutes to remember the One who started it all. Think about writing a “love letter” to your first true and everlasting Love…Jesus.

If you’re looking for a little inspiration, listen to the song: There was Jesus

Have a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

In Prayer,

Gail Jones

Mission Director

U pcoming Calendar Events:

Sunday, January 31 – February 5, 2021 - Catholic Schools Week with daily classroom happenings

Wednesday, February 3 – Wednesday, February 17, 2021 - MCOL reserved parent re-enrollment for the 2021-22 school year (Nido/infants, Young Children’s Community/toddler and Children’s House (ages three through kindergarten)

Friday, February 12, 2021 – Celebrate St. Valentine – classroom celebrations (children only)

Monday, February 15 - 16, 2021 – Mid-winter recess (No school)

Thursday, February 18, 2021 – Enrollment for the 2021-22 school year opens to the public

(Nido/infants, Young Children’s Community/toddler and Children’s House (ages three through kindergarten)

With Gratitude,

Laura Bengel

Head of School

lbengel@feliciansisters.org

Brr, it’s just too cold to go outside!

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 22:30:38 GMT

On those days where the wind chill feels a bit too much to venture outdoors, and you are looking for purposeful yet fun activities for your child, we have a few suggestions!

Montessori Basics: The Language Curriculum

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Have you ever wondered how Montessori guides teach children about language? Parents are often astounded when they observe children learning to read at a young age in our schools. What’s the secret?

There’s no secret - we’re happy to share our methods! Read on to learn more about our approach, how we align our teaching with a child’s natural development, and what the progression looks like as children get older.

Early Language Activities

Children’s language development begins long before they enter the classroom. Dr. Montessori asserted that children from birth to age 6 were in the age of the absorbent mind. During this time they are able to learn language simply by living around others who are using language. Montessori classrooms incorporate both spoken and written language into the environment to further enrich this early learning.

In our primary classrooms we teach children songs and poems so that they may hear and experience language in a fun and playful way that appeals to them. We encourage parents to do the same! Share poems from your childhood with your children and discover new ones together. Sing your favorite songs from when you were little, or enjoy kid-friendly tunes from musicians such as Raffi or Tom Chapin.

Montessori guides introduce children to as much vocabulary as possible in their early years. This may start with naming objects around the classroom, but will also expand toward specialized nomenclature. Children learn the names of the continents, plant and animal names, and specific terms that apply to areas of interest. These vocabulary words are spoken and shown in written form.

Writing

As you may have guessed, writing starts earlier in Montessori classrooms than in many other settings. Consider the goal of writing: to visually communicate one’s ideas with others using standardized symbols. This is actually separate from the ability to hold a pencil and form strings of letters, words, and sentences on a piece of paper.

Once a child has a basic understanding of most of the letter sounds, they begin to use a material called the moveable alphabet. Exactly what it sounds like, the moveable alphabet is a box containing sorted wooden letters. Children lay the letters out to write words, and eventually sentences. At this stage we do not expect children to conform to conventional spelling, but rather we allow what is often referred to as inventive spelling. “I love my mom” may look like “I luv mi mom”.

Montessori classrooms use many materials to help children strengthen their finger muscles in preparation for the physical act of handwriting beginning at age 3, or arguably even earlier. Our experience has taught us that children are ready to express themselves in writing before they are ready to start writing in the traditional sense. That pencil-to-paper writing usually starts in kindergarten, though it varies with individual children.

Reading

One beautiful material that you have likely seen is called the sandpaper letters. The letters are used to teach both reading and writing.

It’s important to note that when Montessori guides begin teaching children about letters, our focus is on the sounds the letters make and not so much their names. This means we do not teach the alphabet song, because knowing the names of letters isn’t really helpful in learning how to read. That’s not to say there is no value in such learning; it will certainly come in handy when learning to alphabetize, or when talking about letters when they are a bit older. We just want parents to know that if you want to continue the work we do in our classrooms, consider using a letter’s most commonly used sound when referring to it.

An example: when a Montessori child learns to spell cat, they will say, “k-ah-t” rather than “see-ay-tee”.

Object boxes are used to help children learn to read as well. A box labeled with the letter p may contain tiny toy versions of a pig, pot, pin, etc. Eventually, children are able to match the objects with label cards.

Much of our reading work is done while teaching children other subjects. For example, if they are learning about mammals, they will read lots of text at their level about mammals.

There are also special series of books used by many Montessorians, including Miss Rhonda’s Readers (created by a Montessori guide) and Bob Books. Guides typically prefer that families not use these same books at home. Young children are often able to memorize text, and if they have been exposed to the same books at home and school, it can be difficult for guides to have an accurate observation of the child’s true decoding skills. Check with your child’s guide if you’re curious or would like some advice on what books to read at home.

Card materials are also used as children progress, allowing guides to help children isolate specific sounds and blends. One series of cards/lessons may focus on the various ways to make a long a sound. One color of cards displays words containing ai, another will contain ay, and yet another will teach children about words with the silent e.

Word Study

This area of study includes a wide variety of skills and begins once a child has begun to read; some of the earlier lessons are given during the final (kindergarten) year of primary, but many are given during the first two years of lower elementary. The guide will give the child a lesson teaching the skill. In the days and weeks following, children practice the skill independently using special card materials. The skills include:

● Classification

● Alphabetizing

● Compound words

● Synonyms

● Antonyms

● Prefixes

● Suffixes

Grammar

Grammar is taught early and in what we call a spiraling curriculum; that is, we circle back on the same content as the child gets older, building on previous knowledge and giving more depth to their understanding. Parts of speech are taught in a very specific order, and each one has a corresponding symbol that children use in many activities.

Beginning in the final year of primary, children typically learn about nouns, articles, and verbs, as well as their corresponding symbols. This helps them to understand the core parts of our sentences and gives them an introduction to grammar in a way that appeals to them.

Sometime during that final year in primary or the first year of lower elementary, children are introduced to grammar through what we call the function of words. Traditionally, a model of a farm, complete with animals, is used to guide children through the process. Again, they begin by learning that nouns are naming words, and they name each animal and feature of the farm. They then go on to learn the corresponding articles, followed by all other parts of speech, including adjectives, verbs, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections.

Once a child has learned the functions of words, they will move on to the Montessori grammar command cards. Knowing that children learn by doing, these cards give children specific directions to physically follow so that they may experience the words for themselves.

Another classic Montessori activity involves the use of colored wooden grammar boxes. Children use cards to recreate sentences, word by word, and sort the words by various parts of speech.

There are many extensions to grammar work that Montessori children enjoy. Some will write their own sentences and use colored pencils to label each word with its corresponding grammar symbol. Others enjoy using grammar strips: a material that shows a series of grammar symbols which students must use a guide to write a sentence with that particular pattern.

Sentence Analysis

Going beyond grammar, elementary-aged children learn to analyze sentences. This begins simply with subjects, verbs, direct, and indirect objects. As children get older and have a better grasp on language, the work extends considerably.

Children in upper elementary classes learn about complex sentence structures. This includes structures like predicate adjectives and nominatives, attributive adjectives, various types of phrases and clauses, and many more.

For seasoned Montessori parents: did you learn anything new from this article? New families: what do you find the most interesting, or what do you still have questions about? As always, we believe in the power of observation, and we invite you all to schedule a time to visit us .

Work or Play? A Peek Inside the Montessori Classroom

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT

You know Montessori classrooms are different than most. You’ve heard the rumors: children run around doing whatever they please. It’s all play and no work. Or perhaps you’ve heard the opposite: our structures are so rigid we stifle creativity and natural childhood behavior.

What’s it really like?

We can practically guarantee that once you step inside a classroom for yourself, sit quietly in a corner, and observe the children and adults at work, your impressions will be transformed. We encourage parents to do so whenever possible; the children are used to visitors and we have tips on how your presence can be unobtrusive to them but informative for you. We hope you’ll scheduled a visit soon if you’ve never been, or even if it’s just been a while.

In the meantime, this post will give you some idea of what you might see in a typical, high fidelity Montessori classroom.

Arrival

From the moment they step in the door, expectations are different for Montessori children, even as young as our toddlers. Children are responsible for hanging their own bags and coats on hooks. They learn to change their own shoes, with most classrooms requiring that children wear either slippers or a special pair of shoes designated for indoor school use only. This is done in part to keep our classrooms clean, but also to give children a sense that their classroom feels more comfortable and home-like.

Guides greet students upon their arrival. They often make a point of shaking a child’s hand, looking them in the eye, and saying their name along with a friendly hello. By doing this, we are intentionally modeling polite human interactions. Before long, the children learn how to greet us back, and they are even able to apply this skill outside of school.

The Work Period

Also called the morning work cycle, this period of time is a hallmark of the Montessori approach. We believe that children need a longer stretch of time to involve themselves deeply in independent work, so we honor this need by providing an uninterrupted block of time each morning.

How much time? That depends on the age of the child. Typically, for children ages 3 and up, the work period is three hours long. It’s not quite so long for younger children, and older children may have a second work period in the afternoon.

During this time children work independently while guides give small group or independent lessons. Sometimes it may appear that a child is playing, and while that is true, certain types of play are critical to learning. It is also important to note that Dr. Montessori developed her educational materials to appeal to children, so what may look like a simple puzzle could actually be a manipulative biology diagram. What looks like pretty colored beads are, in fact, tools for exploring complex mathematical concepts.

Montessori children are able to make a lot of choices during this time. We allow freedom of movement: that is, they may sit where they like, stand and walk around the room if their bodies require a break, and use the restroom safely without needing an adult’s permission. We provide a range of seating options as well. Some children prefer to work alone or with others, some like to sit at a table or on the floor. Adults appreciate having choices while they work, and we believe children should be afforded the same respect.

What types of work might you see? You may be surprised to see even very young children working on the following subjects:

● Math

● Language

● Biology

● Geography

● Practical life skills

● Sensory refinement (up to age 6)

● Geometry

Socializing

Montessori education takes the perspective that we must nurture the whole child. This is a popular concept with parents and teachers across a wide variety of settings, but Montessori schools have structures built into their programs that allow for deeper exploration and support of the social self.

The aspects of choice are one way we support children’s social development. Rather than assigning seats or requiring children to work alone or in pairings that are predetermined by adults, we generally let children choose if they would rather work independently or cooperatively, and with whom they would like to work. That being said, in any group of people, some personalities work well together, while others do not; we help guide children to differentiate between what makes a positive complementary work partner for them, and what constitutes a fun (and perhaps silly) friendship that can be developed outside the work period.

As children grow older, they begin to place a stronger emphasis on friendships. The process of figuring out what healthy friendships should look and feel like is a major work of children in the elementary years. Attachments form, and children come to rely on the company of one another. Of course, another reality of these years is that all children will face social conflict at some point or another.

One benefit of a Montessori environment is that the guides are able to set aside time and space to help children navigate conflict. We teach mediation strategies, inclusivity, and conflict resolution. We are able to assist children both proactively and reactively. We often use stories to teach children important lessons about social skills. Role play is another tool used in classrooms when negative patterns begin to form; when children are able to have fun and remove themselves personally from an experience, they can learn positive approaches to resolving common dilemmas.

The Guide’s Role

Another often surprising element of the Montessori classroom is the role our guides take. To begin with, they are typically referred to as guides, rather than teachers, as we believe the name is a far better descriptor of the task. Instead of feeding children a stream of information we expect them to internalize, we lay a path before them, open the door, and give them the tools to explore and learn.

In the primary years (ages 3-6), lessons are usually given individually. This allows the guide to give their full attention to the child before them, and to honor their individual needs. In the elementary years, lessons are typically given to small groups of children, honoring their developmental desire to work alongside their peers.

Another delicate task of the Montessori guide is to know when to step in and assist a child, and when to stand back and allow them to find a solution themselves. Generally speaking, we tend to take the latter approach. We believe that children are capable of much more than we often give them credit for, and given the opportunity, they will rise to the occasion. This approach helps build resilience and confidence.

Lastly, the guide’s job is to observe. We watch the children in our care to learn which skills they have mastered, which they are progressing in, and which they may require additional support with. Though we may not always intervene, we notice what they are doing, both academically and socially. We take copious notes to inform our practice, record their progress, and to share our findings with parents.

Montessori guides don’t consider themselves the center of the classroom. We are merely there to support the learning of the children.

Still curious? Good! Call us today to schedule a time to visit us. See a Montessori classroom in action for yourself. We know it will be an amazing experience.

December News and Notes

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 22:51:18 GMT

Let Peace Begin with Me

We hope your home is full of the same pure energy that fills our school as we prepare for the celebration of Jesus' birth! Our students (Young Children's Community, Children's House, and Virtual) are busy creating decorations for our Christmas trees and their classrooms, too. A few may even make their way to your home!

This year, the children created ornaments and decorated a real Christmas tree for Madonna University's Living Nativity. Madonna placed a video on their Facebook page for your viewing pleasure. Peace interconnects beautifully with Jesus' message of loving one another as He loved us. Dr. Maria Montessori created a method of education with the belief that world peace can only come through the child's teaching. Montessori children learn to love one another without judgment and to accept one another without bias. Our theme of a peaceful world is a beautiful marriage of our Felician Sisters core values and Dr. Montessori's vision for humanity's future. Let our hearts and homes prepare for the birthday celebration of the Prince of Peace!

With the help of their classmates, our Kindergarten Leadership students push-pinned dozens of doves for their Family Prayers and Blessings tree and then sent them home for each family to determine their blessings or prayers. Students then returned their family dove and hung them on our vestibule tree. The Family Blessings and Prayer tree is a daily topic of conversation as the children arrive. Thank you for supporting the work of our Kindergarten Leadership program!

As we bring 2020 to an end and begin to shift our thinking towards income tax filing, we ask that you consider us in your year-end giving. We are a 501c3 non-profit corporation and can offer you a tax-deductible report of any gifts received (items and monetary donations).

Montessori Center of Our Lady welcomes your donations to support various initiatives to help keep our school growing in excellence and providing for those in need. Monetary contributions (check/cash) or gifts in kind are needed, as outlined below.

How can you help?

We encourage healthy children (and adults) around here. Join us as we work to bring the Zono Sanitizing Cabinet to Montessori Center of Our Lady. Learn more about the proven benefit of a Zono Sanitizing Cabinet here: https://www.zonotechnologies.com/industries-served/child-care/

The Zono Sanitizing Cabinet so thoroughly sanitizes all materials, including crayons, books, blocks, and soft toys, that its use has stopped the highly communicable hand-foot-and-mouth disease dead in its tracks. Your child's risk is minimized further from everything from conjunctivitis to the common cold in our classrooms with Zono.

Our Young Children's Community (ages 18 months to three years of age) is up and running! We are now gathering gently used or new two-person wagons like the one in the following link
- ( https://www.amazon.com/Step2-Wagon-Two-Plus-Blue/dp/B0048WQHGW ). We will use these wagons for emergency evacuations (fire and such), so we quickly leave our campus with our toddlers. Our goal is a total of seven wagons. We will practice using our wagons for toddler rides during recess, so use in an emergency would be commonplace for our toddler students.

By September 2021, we will bring our Nido/infant (3 months to 18 months) community to our campus! Our initial expenses will be high due to crib costs, building a non-mobile space, double- strollers, properly weighted low shelves, Montessori Nido materials, and more! As an example, twelve cribs, including three emergency evacuation cribs, will total approximately $3,500.

As a non-profit organization, we recognize the need for financial tuition assistance for families in need of support. We know our program offerings in their children's lives will bring significant returns to the world down the road. Donations earmarked for financial assistance help make a Montessori Center of Our Lady education available to those who may otherwise go without the benefits of such an educational experience.

As we all celebrate the Christmas and New Year's holidays in the weeks ahead, please be mindful the pandemic continues to accompany us. While we are confident in the health and safety measures we take every day on our campus, you play an essential role in helping us to minimize the risk through the decisions and actions you take as a family.

Our goal for each one of us in our MCOL community, at large, is a joyous holiday season that brings joy and laughter into our hearts. Be safe, be smart, and know that our daily prayers include each one of you! Together, we are Montessori Center of Our Lady!

Let's look at the classroom trees, our Kindergarten Leadership tree, and our Madonna University Tree of Peace -

Young Children’s Community –

Children’s House 1 –

Children’s House 3 –

Virtual School Away from Home –

Our Virtual School Away from Home students wrote Christmas cards to the Felician Sisters at the convent and the Priests residing at Senior Clergy Village to be sure they felt the Christmas love from our MCOL community! Thank you to our friends at Reset Brain and Body ( https://www.resetbrainandbody.com/ ) for donating two boxes of beautiful Christmas cards!

Kindergarten Leadership Family Prayers and Blessings tree –

Our Madonna University Tree of Peace –

CALENDAR REMINDERS

→ Christmas break begins on Monday, 12/21/2020. School resumes on Monday, January 4, 2021

→ Monday, January 18 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. School is closed.
→ January 20 & 21 – Hearing and Vision Testing is scheduled (Covid dependent)

→ January 31 – February 5 is Catholic Schools Week. Classroom festivities throughout the week.

→ February 3 - Re- enrollment begins for currently enrolled MCOL families for the 2021-22 school year

→ February 18 – enrollment for the 2021-22 school year opens to the Livonia and surrounding communities

The Montessori Blog

Choosing Montessori

Montessori choices

December Newsletter

Christmas Traditions

November Newsletter

Thanksgiving and Stone Soup

October Newsletter

More Autumn Fun and Lessons

Autumn Newsletter

Fall Updates

"Montessori at Home"

Dr. Montessori wrote that “The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”

Summer Newsletter

News from the Teachers

Back to School

Preparing both the adults and children in your family...

Freedom and Responsibility

"Roots of responsibility and wings of independence"

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel chosen as a pilgrimage site during this Jubilee Year!

Practical Life you say?!?

United in Faith and Community as we begin Catholic Schools Week

December 2022

Nido

Young Children's Community

Children's House

Christmas Sing-Along

Mission Moments

Important Dates

Time; friend or foe?

Our reading process explained…

Language as a Means of Self-Development

December 2021

Christmas greetings, MCOL families,

Now let’s take a look inside our classrooms -

Young Children's Community

Children's House 1

Children's House 2

Children's House 3

Calendar Reminders

What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving season?

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

﻿ William Arthur Ward

October 2021

Hello, MCOL families!

Nido

﻿ Young Children's Community

﻿ Children's House 1

﻿ Children's House 2

Children's House 3

﻿ Calendar Reminders

June 2021

Hello, MCOL families!

COVID-19 Guideline Changes

Kindergartners

End of the School Year

Mission Moments - St. Joseph

Upcoming Dates

There’s more to outdoor time than playgrounds!

April 2021

Hello, MCOL families!

Exit Surveys

april 2021 april 2021 april 2021

april 2021

Wooded Trails at MCOL!

april 2021 april 2021 Snack Schedules

april 2021

april 2021

april 2021 april 2021 april 2021

april 2021 Parent-Teacher Conferences

april 2021 Kindergartners - Moving Forward

Teacher Appreciation Week

april 2021 Let’s peek inside each classroom, including our newest offering,

april 2021 Nido (Infants) –

april 2021 Young Children's Community -

april 2021 Children's House -

april 2021 april 2021 Mission Moments-

april 2021 Upcoming Dates-

The Absorbent Mind of a Child: Unconscious to Conscious

March 2021

William Arthur Ward

Young Children's Community

Children's House 1

Children's House 2

Calendar Reminders

U pcoming Calendar Events: