George Watts Montessori School

Grounding–an intentional focus on the present

During our staff meeting yesterday, we had professional learning around stress management, including the brain science around sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. This also included tools for managing stress, for both staff and students, such as GROUNDING–an intentional practice of bringing one’s focus to the present moment, in your body or in your surroundings, instead of being trapped by the thoughts in your mind that are causing anxiety.

This morning, our community noticed a rainbow over George Watts Montessori–a beautiful moment in our surroundings on a heavy morning, navigating the real fear in our community brought by increased federal law enforcement activity this week.

George Watts Montessori pop-up SWAG SALE through November 17!

Check out the NEW designs and pre-order your George Watts swag here by 11/17.
youth t-shirts: suggested price $15 (pay what you can!)
adult t-shirts: $20
youth crewneck sweatshirts: $20
adult crewneck sweatshirts: $30

Youth t-shirts have a suggested price of $15. Use a coupon code to pay what you can: 10YOUTHTEE, 5YOUTHTEE, or FREEYOUTHTEE

Want to pay with cash? PTA representatives will be collecting pre-orders on 11/13 and 11/14 from 7:30-8am outside the school.

Items will go home with students before Winter Break. Order ASAP - very limited stock will be available after 11/17.

Primary Assessment Signup

Primary Assessment Signup Is your preK or kindergarten student NEW to George Watts Montessori? We would love to meet you an...

George Watts Montessori, Back to School 2025-26

George Watts Montessori, Back to School 2025-26 The start of the 2025-26 school year is just around the corner! Be sure to check out all of the det...

🎒 Fill That Bus! Fuel the Year – Starts Today! 🚍

Durham, let’s kick off the school year right! The annual “Fill That Bus! Fuel the Year” school supply drive begins today, running through August 8. Our good friends at the DPS Foundation will be leading the effort in restocking the shelves at Crayons2Calculators so every DPS teacher has the tools needed—completely free—for student success 📝📚

What’s happening:

Community-wide efforts to gather essential supplies—pencils, notebooks, art tools, rulers, folders, tissue, and more.

Drop-off bins are set up around the city (libraries, churches, businesses) and at Crayons2Calculators warehouse, 808 Bacon St., open Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11 am–3 pm.

Prefer to support digitally? Financial donations help purchase high-need items efficiently.

Why it matters:
Last year, Crayons2Calculators distributed over $129,000 in supplies, supporting 96% of DPS teachers at 59 schools—and many teachers still spend hundreds out-of-pocket.

👉 How YOU can help:

Donate supplies: drop off at Crayons2Calculators or community bins.
Give online: support via financial contributions.
Share & volunteer: host your own drive or help pack supplies.
Let’s come together and ensure no teacher—or student—goes without this school year. 🔗 Visit www.fillthebus.org for more details and a full list of needed items.

So proud of Ms. Mason--she was named DPS Teacher of the Month for December!

GWM PTA 10K Challenge! Today we are highlighting field trips! At most schools, students are charged a field trip fee to cover the costs of field trips--at GWM, the PTA budgets for field trips. This covers the cost of most field trips, allowing our students to learn out and about in our community.

Help us reach our 10K goal this week!
To Give: https://bit.ly/GWM-PTA-Fall2023

This week is our PTA 10K Challenge!
Join the annual giving drive this week and help us reach $10,000 in 7 days!

To Give: https://bit.ly/GWM-PTA-Fall2023
All contributions are tax-deductible–the PTA is a registered non-profit organization.

This week, we’ve had several walk around the sun celebrations! A special Montessori birthday event! https://montessorifortoday.com/how-to-celebrate-a-birthday-the-montessori-way/

Last week, the GWM community came together for an evening of food and fun celebrating Hispanic Heritage!