North Park Montessori

"Harmonious relation between adult and child does not depend only on their loving each other. Rather, mutual understanding and love depend on whether the child has acquired his independence." -Montessori

We had a busy week here at North Park and Wellerwood, actually going back to last Friday with a few photos from Critter Barn during their visit here last week. You'll also see a wonderful shot of Ms. Sybil reading with some scholars while they wait for the bus to come to Wellerwood. Last, we visit the GSRP classroom with Ms. Stephanie teaching about geography and art skills!

Next, we visit Lower Elementary, where Ms. Kelly - our Mental Health Clinician - is playing Red Light/Green Light with some scholars. You'll see some scholars doing a presentation in Ms. Jane's classroom, and we also see a couple of photos from the Lower Elementary trip to Blandford Nature Center earlier this week.

In Upper Elementary, Mrs. Lumm is giving a lesson to a couple of scholars, and you also see one of our E2 scholars at the GRPS Art Show!

We wrap up in Middle School this week with some scholars helping clean up campus during Community Work, followed by Mrs. Davidson giving a Math lesson in her class. This week during Self-Expressions, we partnered with Junior Achievement to have some wonderful career speakers present to our middle schoolers (thanks, Mr. Stuart-Morse!), and we wrap up with two more scholars at the Art Show!

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"The child can only develop fully by means of experience in their environment. We call such experience ‘work’." -Montessori

With Spring Break fully in vision now, our scholars and staff still worked hard all week this week! We start at the Wellerwood Campus, where we visit Ms. Kate's ECSE classroom at snack time, and then we move to Mrs. Theresa's class where scholars are practicing writing and counting!

Our Lower Elementary scholars showed off their artistic side with sidewalk chalk before the rain this week, any guesses on the teacher on the left hand side? We also see scholars working in Mrs. Jovanovic's classroom on a Math work, and in Ms. Jane's class two scholars are engaging with the Coin Game.

In Upper Elementary this week, three classrooms visited the GR Public Museum for the Immerse Program, you'll find three photos from the experience there this week.

In Middle School Science Class, scholars dissected owl pellets this week, analyzing skeletal remains and identifying animal bones. You'll also see 7th graders doing peer review with some of their writing with a partner, showing the importance of collaborating in our classrooms.

Lastly, I hope you'll take a moment to enjoy a some work that some of our scholars have engaged in recently. Two scholars in Mrs. Ettinger's classroom did a deep dive into the Auburn Hills neighborhood here in NE Grand Rapids and the history of housing integration in Grand Rapids. You'll see a photo of the project below, which you can see more of in the main hallway at North Park!

We hope you have a wonderful Spring Break! Be safe if you are traveling, and if you are staying closer to home I hope you are able to get some rest and recharge for the end of the school year! Thank you!

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"The art of education must become a service to these powers inherent in all children. It must be a help to life." -Montessori

We had another busy week here in and out of our classrooms! Between Art Night, Zoo Lab, Cooking Club, Self-Expressions, UFLI, Salmon Observations, and so much more, it's really hard to fully capture the magic that happens in our spaces each week.

Today with photos, we are starting in Children's House with a scholar that is working on her letter sounds, a scholar that working with a Math work, and a scholar cutting a fruit, a Practical Life work choice. Montessori's holistic approach truly helps our scholars connect their life experiences to the content, seeing how our universe is connected!

In Lower Elementary, we see a Middle Schooler working alongside an E1 scholar in Mrs. Keillor's classroom. Upper Elementary had three classrooms visit the John Ball Zoo this week, please enjoy a few photos from their experience this week!

We wrap up with a few shots of the crowd at Art Night - shout-out to Ms. Molloy for a great event for our community!! - and also a fun photo from the GR City Archives from North Park compared to today's cafeteria line during Middle School lunch the other day. Our scholars noticed some differences and similarities!

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FREE summer camps in Grand Rapids! Check out the information below.

Check out these shots of the cafeteria from a bygone era!

"How much fuller and richer life would be if we saw the child in all his greatness, all his beauty, instead of focusing on all his little mistakes?" -Montessori

We made it through another wonderful week! What a great way to end our week with this warmth and sunshine! Reminder to pick up your Butter Braids behind the building at North Park today!

For photos today, we start with a couple shots in Children's House with Mrs. Jennifer and Mr. Stace's class, where the children ate waffles topped with their homemade maple syrup that they got from tapping a maple tree here on campus!

We move up to Lower Elementary, where some of our scholars worked in peer groups during PE class to celebrate the Unified Champions program this week! We also see a family member from Mrs. Nietling's class helping present a science experiment in class recently. Lower Elementary was also visited by Crash the River Rascal from the Whitecaps to remind everyone about the Whitecaps Reading Challenge this month!

The next two shots are of Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary, where we see some Reading Buddies sharing the gift of literature with their younger peers. We see Upper Elementary scholars testing the water from the salmon tank, and we also see some E2 kiddos working on their Health Rocks! lessons from this week's learning.

Finally, we move upstairs to the middle school where we see a shot of scholars doing a dramatic reading of The Diary of Ann Frank, and we also see a scholar working outdoors during Community Work today.

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"In school the teacher stands by, she does not correct or interfere with the child’s work. When something goes wrong she waits to be asked for help, but most often a child persists until he himself does it right. This is perseverance, the beginning of will power which is so important a part of personality." -Montessori

We made it through a long week! Between nights of Parent-Teacher conferences (THANK YOU for the wonderful meals!), the back and forth weather (it's currently 11:00am and we are studying the radar...), and Reading Month, it's been a very productive week!

With photos today we start at Wellerwood in the Children's House, joining a family member reading in Ms. Heather's class and seeing children on a Wonder Walk in the forest. We also can see children working on the Pink Tower and also reading with support staff and and volunteer in the Library.

Next, we move to Lower Elementary (E1), where we see another volunteer working with scholars from Ms. Jane's class, scholars in Mrs. Ostrander's class working during Work Cycle, Ms. Faith working on comparing and contrasting with her class, and you'll also see Mrs. Nietling working hard with her class where they planted some peas on campus!

In Upper Elementary (E2), we see a couple photos from Ms. Molloy's class where scholars were working with foam clay, some scholars learning from the Think Energy! presentation from DTE today, and we also see Mr. Mason working with scholars on the calendar. In Middle School, one group is building a new picnic table for Self-Expression!

Finally, we captured a moment a the Scholastic Book Fair during conferences where a family member was caught reading to a couple of scholars between conference meetings.

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"Times have changed, and science has made great progress, and so has our work; but our principles have only been confirmed, and along with them our conviction that mankind can hope for a solution to its problems, among which the most urgent are those of peace and unity, only by turning its attention and energies to the discovery of the child and to the development of the great potentialities of the human personality in the course of its formation." -Montessori

This week, we will start in Children's House, where we see a child observing the tapped maple tree in the wood, a child showcasing their art work, and also some children sharing some time together reading. In Lower Elementary, we see a parent volunteer modeling some yoga in class, a parent reading for March is Reading Month, and also a scholar working on a math work. We see Mr. Grove giving a lesson in Upper Elementary, and then in Middle School we have two images from Math Class, showing the importance of collaborating and sharing ideas in all of our classes!

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"Education should... include the two forms of work, manual and intellectual, for the same person, and thus make it understood by practical experience that these two kinds complete each other and are equally essential to a civilised existence." -Montessori

I hope that you have had a wonderful week! With the warmer weather hitting today, so many kids were happy to get outside and run around in the spring-esque weather! Although we did see a lot of muddy knees at Lower Elementary recess today when I was out there, you could tell that everyone is getting ready for more sun outside.

For Montessori Moments today, we start in Lower Elementary, where you will see a couple of photos from the GR Public Museum field trip that all Lower Elementary scholars were able to attend this week! Thank you to the chaperones. You will also be able to see a scholar working on math in Ms. Jovanovic's classroom, and Mrs. Nietling teaching a math lesson to some of her scholars in her classroom.

Next, we move to Upper Elementary, where we hosted a Jazz Assembly from St. Cecilia this week, you'll see Ms. Eva working with some scholars at the Salmon Tank, a few scholars from Ms. Swan's class working on exploring the concept of volume with a material, and you'll also see a group of sixth grader who traveled to the AirZoo this week!

We finish up in Middle School, where you'll see two great photos from Self-Expressions again this week - scholars working on block printing and also scholars practicing their photography skills at the Salmon Tank.

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"We must accept adaptation as the basis upon which we can build a concept of education." -Montessori

We hope that you had a nice short week! Although we were only here three days this week, we still had a lot of learning and work that happened throughout the school environment.

We'll start with Children's House, where you'll see a photo of a scholar building words in class and learning letter sounds, the start of reading! We'll also see Mr. Stace working with children and actually tapping a maple tree on Wellerwood's campus! We'll keep you all in the loop about the outcome.

In Lower Elementary, we visit Mrs. Keillor's class and you'll see scholars working both independently or with a partner, highlighting the hands-on materials and flexible seating that we have here at North Park Montessori!

In Upper Elementary, please enjoy this modeling shot of three scholars and the hermit crab in Mrs. Eva's class. The scholars built a Lego house for the hermit crab, and it looks like it's moving in!

Lastly, you'll see a great action shot of scholars in Middle School working in Self-Expressions this week, practicing their Art skills!