East Cooper Montessori Charter School

Don’t let the last dog days of summer give you the blues! Pack up the kids and the neighbors and head to Pelicans Snowball in Mount Pleasant from 4-7 and tell them you are there to support education and East Cooper Montessori Charter School!🍧❄️🍨❄️

As we warm up for a great welcome back, take a moment to chill out with your ECMCS community at Pelican's Snoballs! Please join us on Sunday, August 20, from 4 to 7 p.m. for the first Spirit Night of the school year. A portion of each sale will go towards the PTN's Sunshine Fund--just be sure to mention ECMCS when ordering! Is anyone brave enough to try the Dill Pickle or Toothpaste flavor?

Salutations from N. Carolina as told by Zac Viscidi

The Middle School team recently retreated to a mountain getaway! The quaint setting allowed us to unplug from our devices and dive into a serene symphony of chirping birds and skittering squirrels. A rogue bear, may, or may not, have devoured the contents of a garbage can down the road, but we all came back alive from this boisterous adventure! The retreat provided first-hand experiences of the practical life skills we expect to teach in the coming school year, and by applying the Montessori Method to our daily lives, we came out as stronger individuals and educators. Whether the highlight was our guided hikes with Betsy, the knowledgeable and friendly local, the culinary camaraderie of cooking around one, teeny fondue pot, or the candlelit campfire games, the getaway was an amazing experience each of us is sure to remember.

If the outdoors environment is a natural extension of the classroom, the work being done by the Saluda Community Land Trust is a masterclass. Preserving over 400 acres of undeveloped land, the organization's effort is rooted in resource management and community development (two goals our program aims to mimic). Our guide, Betsy, provided excellent insights into the land trust process as well as the natural landscape, and she even gave us some mushroom spawn that we will be using in the upcoming year with our scholars!

“Discipline must come through liberty,” and as middle Montessori school educators, we engaged in seminar to reaffirm and align our thoughts about self-directed engagement and focus. With a renewed emphasis on opportunity and possibility, we aimed to define the self-discipline strategies we expect our students and ourselves to cultivate in the classroom.

And lastly, as we embarked on our quest to operate at higher levels of efficiency, we grappled with the everyday dilemmas of an educator: how to coordinate curriculum, how to address dress code, and how to challenge all students to achieve at higher levels. In short, how to ensure a smooth and successful year. The invaluable discussions and exchange of ideas brought a fair share of “Eureka!” moments, heated debates, and the occasional tangent into uncharted territory. No matter, the retreat was amazing, and we wouldn’t have had it any other way!

Here are a few of our favorite photos! But, be sure to ask about it when you see us! The stories are even better!

There are so many amazing innovations happening in schools! There is one thing that never changes. The annual school supply sort! Thanks to our amazing Parent Teacher Network that sorted 80 boxes of school supplies so it is one less thing teachers have to do when they return and one less thing parents have to do to prepare for school! Bring on the students!

East Cooper Montessori Charter School updated their information in their About section.

Congratulations to our very own Ms. Alana & Ms. Marie on being two of the Master Teachers at the Design Lab Summer Institute this week in Columbia! They shared multiple different activities and lessons on how to incorporate Design thinking into the Arts.
Excited to see how these teachers will incorporate design ideas in the classroom around the state and in our own this upcoming school year! 🎨👩🏻‍💻🎵

Ms. Jordan and Ms. Alana are offering a special summer camp program in July called The Art of Friendship! This opportunity is especially for all of our rising second grade through sixth grade students here at ECMCS. It take place on Monday, July 10th through Thursday, July 13th from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. We invite students to join us for a positive art-making experience where they can explore a variety of art mediums and have fun with friends while creating art. See the last Office Notes to register and contact Ms. Alana with questions or for more details. ♥️🎨🖌️😉👍

We hope to see you tomorrow at Coastal Crust (979 Harbor View Road) at 1pm to enjoy some pizza for our Pet Portraits Art Auction! For me it’s the ultimate event- art, puppies, kids and pizza! All my favorite things! Thank you to Coastal Crust for hosting and supporting Pet Helpers Adoption Shelter and Spay/Neuter Clinic! A HUGE shout out to our amazing art major students for their hard work and for sharing their talents! Enjoy a slice, get some puppy kisses, compliment an art student on their hard work, maybe place a bid on your favorite painting and feel good about making a difference for pets in need.

It was incredible seeing our 3rd graders bridge to upper elementary on the same day that our high school seniors came back to for a 1st Annual Senior Parade at their former elementary school. Our favorite part was having four high schools represented and we get to do it again next year! What a heartfelt day in our community!

Excited to see you all tomorrow at the birthday party for some fun face painting! Check out the choices on the board below!

Hope to see you Saturday at the big birthday party! 2:00-5:00!

🤩 🥳 CHALLENGE ALERT!!! 🤩 🥳

For tonight's challenge the one class in Lower El, Upper El, & Middle School with the most brand new donations logged onto MyBooster.com TONIGHT ONLY….....gets to pie the Booster Team!

Join us on May 13 to celebrate 20 years of our wonderful ECMCS community. All current and former ECMCS families, staff and community members are welcome. For details, please visit https://www.ccsdschools.com/Domain/5012

ECMCS Parents! Last day of the weekend for our special challenge to help us reach our goal of $40,000. If we raise $,5000 over the weekend, every student earns a BONUS PRIZE. Check it out below!

Weekend Challenge Video - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KPX1ZL1hLzoeOVCEbfv6a1deTMty6i87/view?usp=drivesdk

Join us on May 13 to celebrate 20 years of our wonderful ECMCS community. All current and former ECMCS families, staff and community members are welcome. For details, please visit
https://www.ccsdschools.com/Domain/5012

20th Birthday Celebration / Content Page Our 20th anniversary celebration will be held on Saturday, May 13th from 2-5. This family fun day will include live entertainment, food trucks, games & face painting, and more! We hope to see you there because we are excited to celebrate 20 years of Making a Montessori Difference with you! 

The countdown is on! 8 days until party time!
May 13th from 2-5
Food trucks, live music, tours and tons of friends old and new. Next Saturday is looking like an amazing day!
Do you know these faces?

As part of our Nourishing Change project, ECMCS will partner with the Lowcountry Blessing Box Project to stock blessing boxes around the Lowcountry during summer vacation. Today our students learned more about this amazing organization and what we can do to help fight against hunger in our community.

8th Grade White Water Rafting Action Shots 📸

8th Grade Chattooga Trip 💚
Three days filled with Zip-lining, White Water rafting, and Yurt life. Which proved that rain can’t put a damper on the adventurous spirit of the adolescent.

Our soon to be graduates lived together, worked together, and played together to celebrate their final days at ECMCS!

Today was the day! Our 5th years planted Spartina Grass by Shem Creek as a culminating experience with our year long project with Seeds to Shoreline. We got to learn about the importance of our beautiful, coastal ecosystem while serving our local community!

"There must be provision for the child to have contact with nature; to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony, and the beauty in nature." - - Maria Montessori

On Thursday, our upper elementary students were treated to a visit from local author George Brewington. Mr. Brewington is the author of THE MONSTER CATCHERS and the recently released novel THE GIRL WHO BUILT A SPIDER. He shared how he was inspired to become an avid reader, his early experiences/challenges, and how he became a published author. Mr. Brewington enthusiastically answered many terrific students' questions and shared his advice to keep reading, writing, and following their interests.
Check out his site at http://www.georgebrewington.com/

Are you looking for something fun to do with the family this weekend? Don’t miss the Charleston Academy of Musical Theater’s production of the Little Mermaid at Lucy Beckham High School!
You may even recognize some of the amazing actors and singers from the halls of ECMCS!
You will also recognize some ECMCS teachers in the audience as well!

Find tickets to The Little Mermaid Jr on our website https://www.charlestonacademyofmusicaltheatre.com

Here’s another blast from the past! Who can name these amazing kiddos that are now adults?

Our Middle School STEM major had a great start back from break learning about South Carolina's artifical reefs from Ryan Yaden, the Artificial Reef Program Coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources. Students will be designing and creating artifical reefs to meet specific habitat requirements using a 3D printer.

Check out this great event hosted by DNR this weekend!

Saturday, April 22: 10AM-4PM
Join us for an Open House honoring South Carolina's coastal waters and the people who work to study and protect them. Meet marine biologists, fisheries managers, and educators and get a behind-the-scenes look at their work in a fun and relaxed setting. Open House is a free, family-friendly event with dozens of activities for all ages!

+ Observation tanks with live marine animals 🐚
+ Fishing and casting tutorials 🎣
+ Research vessel tours ️
+ Guided history tours
+ Over fifty other marine science booths 🐟
+ Bring a reusable water bottle to enter the Sustainability Raffle

PLEASE NOTE: Parking is at James Island Charter High School, where shuttles will be waiting to transport visitors to the Marine Resources Center. ADA parking is available on site. The last shuttle of the day will leave the high school at 3 p.m.
View Schedule Here

Magic Tree House: Pirates Past Noon
📸Action Shots 📸

BIG Congratulations to the Cast & Crew of Magic Tree House: Pirates Past Noon! 👏🏻 Enjoy our group photos and some behind the scenes photos of our amazing Crew students!

THE
EVENT
OF
THE
YEAR
IS
COMING!

Get ready for our inaugural COLOR FUN RUN! We have waited a very long time to host a fun run @ ECMCS and it’s time! We have consolidated all of the end of year fundraising efforts and events into one EPIC fun run to kick off the 20th Anniversary celebratory weekend!!!

We are excited to kick off our ECMCS Color Fun Run on 05/12/2023. Our goal is to raise $40,000 for building a new Athletic Performance Center and to strengthen our school community.

Our school has always relied on fundraising to provide exceptional opportunities to enhance student learning and we need YOUR HELP registering your student(s) and sharing with friends and family.

Key dates to remember:
● 4/20 REGISTRATION OPENS
● 5/4 ECMCS Fun Run Kick Off
● 5/12 Event Day

We are grateful for our East Cooper Montessori Charter family! Thank you for your support this year - here’s to a GREAT event!

Looking for something to do over spring break? Check out the fun activities at your local library!

MAP testing in April 4th & 5th. Please help us prepare by making sure students bring their fully charged 🔌 Chromebooks 💻 to school.

Thank you all for coming to the ECMCS Night of the Arts celebration for the Art, Music, and Theatre programs. We were able to showcase so much talent from our students and we are so proud of all of their hard work this year! 🎨🎭🎵

More photos of the choraliers and their amazing teacher, Shelby Thompson. What an honor to be recognized with a plaque on the first time!

In honor of UN's World Water Day 2023 and the 2.2 billion people living without access to clean water, our staff and students participated in an Empathy Walk today at ECMCS. Our walk started at 8 and continued throughout the day with all classes partipating. Students carried buckets of water with the goal of developing empathy and understanding for the communities around the world that lack access to this invaluable resource. We believe we can be part of the change necessary to solve the water and sanitation crisis. As part of our Nourishing Change project we are learning about the actions we can take in our daily lives to change the way we consume, use, and manage water to be part of the solution.

Check out these upcoming events at the Mount Pleasant Library.

The opening ceremony is a special event that is both inspiring and special. The room is filled with excited students from all over the world ready to greet their Montessori counterparts and solve some real world problems. The music is loud and the parade of flags is the visual and auditory reminder of our diverse world. The 6th grade ECMCS delegates were surprised when their own classmate’s art submission was chosen by the Montessori Model UN committee as the top art piece to feature. What a moment for Caitlin and her peers to join her in celebrating! Congrats, Caitlin!