A Fantastic First Day in LED!
Students independently bring out familiar work.
With the optimism and energy of a new school year, we welcome students and families to the Lower Elementary Downstairs (LED) class at Montessori By The Sea!
The children of LED truly enjoyed their first day back at school. Most of the first day was spent simply establishing classroom routines, giving the children time to explore familiar materials on the shelves, and getting to know each other. After initial introductions, we began the day with an exciting and rather “mysterious” exercise that emphasized the uniqueness and individuality of every person in the class; please feel free to ask your child about the very special “person inside the box.”
Caring for our community: Students prepare snack for the class.
This week, the class will be working together to form our classroom constitution, which is a collection of rules and principles that every member of our classroom community will agree to honour. The third-year students will each lead a group of younger students in articulating ways in which we show how we care for our work, each other, and for the environment. This exercise not only helps set clear expectations for the classroom, but actively involves each child in contributing to the community. Just as the students work hard to enrich their minds and foster good work habits, they also work to build the foundation of a respectful, peaceful classroom community.
Getting right to work: Children independently building quantities and measuring on the first day of school.
We are also looking forward to focusing on the First Great Lesson, the Story of the Universe, in the coming week. This comprehensive story offers children a fundamental point from which to launch their own inquiry on the origins of our universe and our planet. The children engage in a little bit of the lesson – and its exciting experiments – over the course of several mornings. This gives them the chance to digest the great scope of the story, covering states of matter, the laws of physics, and fundamental geological concepts, and the time to delve into independent streams of study.
Curious minds at work!
Dr. Montessori believed that the ultimate purpose of education was to enable a child to discover his or her purpose in the universe. It was thus quite fitting that one of the children asked the following question today:
” Why are we here on Earth?” (A very deep question for the first day of school.)
A universe full of unanswered questions!
Curiosity is one of the pillars of a vibrant and thriving Lower Elementary environment; it is critical to the development and growth of every human being. Relentless inquiry and the importance of always asking questions took centre stage at the end of our morning today, as the children collaborated to fill our inquiry wall with their biggest questions. We discussed how curiousity was one of the most important things they could bring with them to school, and the children responded with some deeply thoughtful and truly delightful questions (including the musings of our budding philosopher quoted above): “What is the t-rex scared of?” “Who was the first man to wear shoes?” “How big is Jupiter?” “Why is our planet the only one we can live on?”
We enjoyed a brilliant beginning in LED today, and we all look forward to wonderful year full of curiousity, creativity and collaboration!
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OTHER NEWS:
Please mark your calendars: This year’s Parent Orientation Evening will be taking place on Wednesday, September 30th, from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.; all families are cordially invited to attend. We will begin the evening with a Lower Elementary Program overview for parents in both classes. After this, parents will continue to the LED classroom to discuss more specific information about daily routines and procedures. This evening will be a valuable opportunity to better understand your child’s classroom, to ask any questions about the curriculum and the program, and to also connect with teachers and other parents in the school community. Families who are new to the Lower Elementary Program are especially encouraged to join us for this evening.