Ghent Montessori School

“It is not enough for the teacher to love the child. She must first love and understand the universe. She must prepare herself, and truly work at it.”

Maria Montessori

Today and every day, we appreciate our staff at GMS. Spending time together is a gift!

Join us for the GMS Art Show this Sunday, 1:00 - 3:00

It's beginning to feel more and more like spring and we love it!

Here are some pictures of our spring egg hunt and miscellaneous memories being made here at Ghent Montessori✨

“We must understand that anything which animates the child is a help to their development. ” Maria Montessori 🌱

A week of beautiful music, art, and kindness!
- Our middle school went to see the opera and also paid a visit to the Chrysler Museum.
- The TRADOC Military band came and performed an exciting show for the children.
- Students were able to use their French in a practical setting by ordering treats 🥐 from La Brioche Bakery.
- Our lovely, Ukrainian teacher, Mrs. Inna received blue and yellow flowers from thoughtful students. 💙💛

“We shall walk together on this path of life,

for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other

to form one whole unity.” 🌸

—To Educate the Human Potential, Maria Montessori

Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.
Maria Montessori

Ghent Montessori School updated their business hours.

Ghent Montessori School updated their business hours.

“A child who has become master of their acts through long and repeated exercises,

and who has been encouraged by the pleasant and interesting activities in which they have been engaged,

is a child filled with health and joy and remarkable for their calmness and discipline.”

— Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child

A lovely week was had at Ghent Montessori School.

- Upper Elementary went on field trips to the War of Great Bridge Museum and American Revolution Museum
- We celebrated friends' birthdays
- We waved our brand new Ghent Montessori School flag on our flag pole!

And as per usual, we had a ball working hard in the classroom and jumping high in P.E. 😄

"Our care of the child should be governed, not by the desire ‘to make them learn things’

but by the endeavor always to keep burning within them

that light which is called intelligence."

Maria Montessori 🕊

Congratulations to Steven and all of Bay Youth! We are lucky to have him as our music teacher at GMS!

“At some given moment it happens that the child becomes deeply interested in a piece of work;

we see it in the expression on their face,

their intense concentration, the devotion to the exercise.”

Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child

Silly faces, water balloons, Valentine's Day boxes, and civil war abolitionist costumes, oh my!

Here are some of the many highlights of our week. It's a privilege to learn and grow alongside one another day after day 🌱 - and to have fun while doing it!

As the school week comes to an end, we reflect with gratitude and fulfillment -
One special highlight was celebrating the Lunar New Year (The Year of the Tiger! 🐯) with red paper lanterns, tiger masks, and authentic Chinese treats brought in by our wonderful Chinese families.

“The teacher’s task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child.” — Maria Montessori

Don't you just love Montessori?
We've had a wonderful week full of friendship, learning, and fun on a frosted playground! ❄️⛄️

Wishing you all a warm weekend from Ghent Montessori.

Spending Just a Few Years in Montessori Education Predicts Well-Being in Adulthood

Another great article on the benefits of a Montessori education! I love that the Montessori community has Angeline Lillard doing this great research!

https://news.virginia.edu/content/spending-just-few-years-montessori-education-predicts-well-being-adulthood

Spending Just a Few Years in Montessori Education Predicts Well-Being in Adulthood A UVA study found that adults who attended a Montessori school for at least two childhood years reported positive feelings about such things as autonomy and self-acceptance.

We love having the children back at school! We have hit the ground running with an excitement to learn.

We're thrilled to have a new flagpole that was installed yesterday. Currently, we have our United States flag and soon we will have our school flag flying underneath.

Wishing you all a healthy, fun, and restful weekend.

Montessori Children Often Turn Into Happy Adults

Montessori Children Often Turn Into Happy Adults New research highlights the long-term benefits of a Montessori education.

January 3, 2022! In my 25 years at GMS, this was one of the highest tides I have seen. Thanks to Skip Stiles of Wetlands Watch for the photo and the help making difficult school decisions yesterday. The high water will be back today and won’t allow us to open safely. We are disappointed that we will have to wait an extra day to welcome our families back after winter break. Stay safe Norfolk!

Happy Holidays from Ghent Montessori!

We all had a festive last week of school before the Winter Break. The older children went to Williamsburg, the Nutcracker, had Pajama Day and Secret Santa!

The younger children were also in the holiday spirit with crafts and gift making. The joy of the holiday season was enjoyed by all.

We hope everyone enjoys their time with family and loved ones, making memories to last a lifetime!

The Craft and Bake Sale brought so much joy and excitement to Ghent Montessori!
Our children had the opportunity to express themselves creatively and sell their goods to students and staff for a wonderful cause: The Chesapeake Bay Foundation -- an organization committed to keeping our bays clean and healthy!
Thank you to all who contributed 😊

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our GMS families, friends, students, staff, and alumni! We are so thankful for each and every one of you and hope you enjoy time spent with the ones that mean most to you.

We have been busy at school with field trips to art museums, making home cooked lunches, and lighting up our Christmas tree!

Today, we reflect with gratitude on the love and light that is all around!

Photos from Norfolk Master Gardeners's post

Upper Elementary had an incredible day today at The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Brock Center. While enjoying a beautiful day, the students learned about the health of the Bay while testing the water quality. The Brock Center is a gift to our community.

We hope that you all had a great Veterans Day, spent honoring and thanking those who have served.

This week has been filled with lots of hard work and fun!
Some highlights:
- Upper Elementary students cooked a wonderful lunch of Zuppa Toscana soup and bread 🍲🥖
- Children's House 2 students made beautiful butterflies out of the autumn gingko leaves that they gathered on their nature walk 🍂
- The toddlers have been busy learning new, exciting skills regarding practical life 🥰

“Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create.” ― Maria Montessori

Have a lovely weekend!

Congratulations to our graduate, Ariana Benson! What an accomplishment!

Congratulations to Open Door Career Advancement Grantees! P&W and Reese’s Book Club's The Readership are delighted to offer grants to twelve promising BIPOC women writers. Learn more: at.pw.org/PWOpenDoor

The holiday season is around the corner. Hear advice on how to create beautiful memories with your child(ren) during this busy time of year.

Join us this Saturday!
Parents, Grandparents, Caregivers - Join Jenny Wyrick for an informational session with practical tips for the upcoming holiday season.

Register Here: https://www.wmi-montessori.org/parenting-through-the-ages/

Learning is fun at Ghent Montessori!
We love to watch the children work hard and grow alongside one another as the week goes by.

Have a wonderful weekend!

“Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.” Maria Montessori

So proud of Eran, Anna and Roadstead Montessori High School! Together, we offer Montessori education starting at 18 months through 18 years! What a gift to the community.

Happy Halloween from Ghent Montessori!
We are getting festive with our pumpkin parade and paper jack-o-lanterns!
Seeing the children's enthusiasm and creativity as the special day approaches has brought so much joy to our school.

"Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and strength, use it to create." Maria Montessori

Exciting new things are happening at Ghent Montessori!

Our hardworking, dedicated friends have built a beautiful playground for our children to enjoy and explore.

We love to see our children dig and build in the sand house, make friends on the bridge, and flourish in creativity on the stage.

"To assist a child, we must provide them with an environment which will enable them to develop freely." Maria Montessori

We are excited to announce that Ghent Montessori School has officially changed hands! As of July 1st, Ruland Gagne, the current Head of School, and Susan Colpitts, formerly Co-Founder and Chief of Client Experience at Signature Family Wealth Advisors (now Brown Advisory), have assumed ownership. The pair are taking over for Suzanne and Welby Pugin, who ran the school since 1994.

Gagne has been a teacher at Ghent Montessori since 1997, and she has acted as Head of School for the past year. Colpitts has a long-standing relationship with Gagne and the school; her three children were students in the 1990s, one of Gagne’s first classes. They are looking forward to this exciting new chapter in Ghent Montessori's history!

In this final couple of weeks of the Children's House Summer Session, the children are having a fun and productive time with Joni.

Dawn's afternoon class in Summer Session 4 was all about Yoga incorporating mindfulness, movement, coordination and art.

Katherine's Elementary Summer School session began this week called "Amazon Adventures". The highlight of this week was being visited by Scarlett, Betty and The Dude. They are 2 macaws and a cockatoo.

MORNING SESSION of Summer Session 3 - The children had a great time learning and emulating art in the style of Pablo Picasso, and then learned about abstract expressionists and created one piece of art in the style of three artists, Helen Frankenthaler, Wassily Kandinsky, and Jackson Pollock.