Classroom Matters

We are happy to report that the children in our class are becoming full owners of their classroom and their environment.  Each day we see happy, confident, busy children blooming before our eyes.  Their independence is apparent during their long morning work cycles, as they help each other care for and straighten their coatroom or as they hold each other accountable during a peace treaty.  The children’s respect for themselves, each other, and their community impresses us each day as we continue to reinforce habits of awareness and inclusivity.      

In math, children at each level of the three-year curriculum continue to deepen their understanding of computation and the hierarchy of numbers.  Lions are using their understanding of the relationship between division and multiplication to complete equations on the Test Tubes and then to check their own work.  Tigers are gaining mastery of dynamic multiplication on the checkerboard, and Bears have begun to explore dynamic addition on the golden mat.  Everyone is working on memorizing math facts!  

In Biology, the children are finishing up their study of the 5 Kingdoms of Life.  They have put tremendous effort into this project and will be excited to share their research with you.  They will bring home a packet that includes an overview of each Kingdom, from Prokaryotes and Protocista, to Fungi, Plants, and Animals.  

We have started making trips to the library, and our kids are overjoyed to have access to this special space for the first time in several years.  As we support them in selecting “just right books” and in their daily reading practice, we see reading skills taking off before our eyes.  Practicing at school with teachers, at home with parents, and on the computer with Lexia creates a strong, three-fold method of reinforcement for our readers, and it’s paying off!  We end each day with silent reading time, which provides another peaceful moment of focused reading.  

We have begun our study of physical and political geography by discussing the “imaginary lines” that humans have drawn across the globe to define different countries, continents, and oceans, as well as our Earth’s very real physical biomes.  Puzzle maps of the continents, biomes, and countries of the world are being pulled out around the classroom.  Children are memorizing the shapes, names, and placements of different geographical forms as they put puzzle maps back together and color and paint maps of their own.  Children also strengthen their geography skills by engaging with the computer program Seterra Geography.   

Our geography study ties directly into big conversations we have been having about human migration and colonization, which led up to our Harvest Gathering in November.  We have had several lessons on the history of Indigenous people in the United States and the impact of European colonization on Indigenous peoples across North America.  As always, I am grateful for the ability of our Junior Level students to grapple with complicated and conflicting themes, such as having gratitude and love for our families and our homes on this land, while holding the knowledge that the land was originally obtained by settlers through violent and dishonest means.   

For our Festival of Lights Project, our class studied Advent to honor the German heritage of several members of our community.  We were excited to learn about the meaning and history of different Advent traditions and to create a window display for all to enjoy!   

In the month of December, as the days shorten and we look forward to the New Year, students continue to find joy in learning and connecting with each other. Students in all three levels wrapped up novel study in Language Arts with research, reflection, and projects. Many are already eagerly enjoying a new independent reading novel! Working with their level groups, students learned about the Haudenosaunee Midwinter Ceremony (Ones), Hanukkah (Twos), and Kwanzaa (Threes) for the Festival of Light. After researching and discussing these events and traditions, the students worked together to design and create beautiful window displays. Their work was stunning and informative and a wonderful way to share information with the school community.

In our Cosmic Curriculum work, students have pushed themselves to demonstrate their knowledge from Cell Theory to processes of cell transport across the membrane, and all the organelles in between! Students practiced with a variety of study methods, such as flashcards, concept maps, hands-on materials, and study buddies. We began our study of ancient west African kingdoms and will continue this work when we return after our break.

In math, geometry, and STEAM, it has been fun to watch students make connections, such as between squaring and area, circles and percents, and lines and coordinates. Students have continued working in groups, and many have delighted in teaching each other or creating challenge problems for their peers to solve. String art projects which use straight lines to create curves were thoroughly enjoyed and resulted in some beautiful displays.

Students were thrilled to choose their topics for the Research Term Paper Project, which will begin in earnest when we return to school in January. Our second- and third-year students were eager to share their experiences with our first-year students. The older students described that the project can be difficult but that it is worth it! “It is a lot at first, but then it is really fun,” explained one student. “It is something you won’t forget,” chimed in another. Offering advice, they told the first-years to “choose something you are really interested in,” “make sure you can find lots of resources on your topic,” and, importantly, “don’t procrastinate!” We encourage you to talk with your student about their ideas for this project. We are looking forward to supporting them through this experience!

In addition to a busy academic schedule in late November and December, the Middle School engaged in a variety of big, complex community service activities as well. We prepared and served two Community Lunches during this time, serving 25 staff members, in addition to ourselves, totaling over 55 hot meals delivered in a timely manner, made from delicious local ingredients, including some from our garden and greenhouse. For our Harvest assembly just before Thanksgiving, second-year students read the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving address to the entire school community. Their readings were delivered skillfully, with sincerity and meaning, and they played out their roles as “elder” students with grace and maturity. Their younger buddies stood at their sides, in many cases gazing up at them admiringly. Afterward, the entire Middle School worked together to break down and put away the sound system and other infrastructure for the event. More recently, students engaged in the gargantuan project of setting up, hosting, and breaking down the Holiday Bazaar on December 14th. Middle School students also played essential roles in setting up for the Festival of Lights and the evening family walk around. Each of these opportunities allowed students to develop and hone skills, apply their learning, collaborate, problem-solve and serve their school and the wider community. This service is a source of pride and satisfaction for Middle School students whose hard work, care, and efficiency are acknowledged and appreciated by administration, faculty, and staff.  

A special aspect of our work in December was the role that the Middle School played in serving people outside our school community. For many years, we have supported families served by The Advocacy Center. The Holiday Bazaar was dedicated to raising funds to support ten families this holiday season. This venture held important meaning for our Middle School students. Knowing that they were raising money to provide gifts and holiday cheer for folks experiencing hardship at this time, students approached the focused, persistent work it takes to plan and implement such a multifaceted event with a deep sense of purpose. During the Holiday Bazaar, they did a beautiful job supporting younger students as they made their selections, acting as clerks and baggers/wrappers, each step of the way honoring their younger schoolmates’ earnest efforts to find useful items for family members.

We’re grateful to the school community for supporting the Holiday Bazaar so enthusiastically. Through students’ and parents’ active participation, we raised over $1700! With these proceeds, the entire Middle School shopped at Target on December 15th. Working from lists provided by The Advocacy Center caseworkers/advocates, students were offered a budget to work within and endeavored to stretch every dollar to best satisfy the needs and wishes of each family. Prior to this outing, Patrice provided a lesson on shopping at a big box store, background that was put to good use by students as they consciously navigated the commercial landscape expertly set up to lure customers into unnecessary impulse purchases.

These were rich opportunities for our middle schoolers to step outside their own lives, consider the needs of others and be of service. Service is one of the tenets of our Montessori Middle School program. Prepared well by the broad, deep curriculum in the younger classrooms here at EAC, our middle schoolers are poised to act with usefulness and agency in the world.