

Rheel News from Island Montessori
February 2024
The Halfway Mark!
Time flies, and we find ourselves at the midpoint of the school year. It is an honor to have a front row seat to your student's academic and personal growth. As we reflect on the first half of the year, we want to express our gratitude for your ongoing support.
Looking ahead, get ready for a series of exciting events that will add vibrancy to the remainder of the school year. Stay connected, stay engaged, and be part of the upcoming moments that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on our school community.
Montessori Moment
IMS Community Celebrations
Each month, IMS students and staff eagerly gather for our special "Year of Connection" events, delving deeper into the Montessori peace flower petals. These petals represent self, community, environment, and cultural awareness. Our staff incorporate lessons centered around these themes, fostering a holistic approach to education.
Teachers, students, and even alumni, actively participate in these gatherings, showcasing their commitment to exploring and celebrating the Montessori peace flower petals. This intentional focus not only strengthens our sense of unity but also promotes self-awareness and understanding of our community, environment, and diverse cultures.
Throughout this journey, we have created a space for meaningful connections and learning experiences beyond traditional boundaries. Keep an eye out for updates on each month's whole-school gathering through our social media platforms or the school website, reflecting our ongoing commitment to fostering awareness and maintaining connections throughout the year. We are grateful for the enriching time spent together as we continue to explore and celebrate these important aspects of our Montessori education.
We are grateful for our time together to connect while also extending learning beyond the classroom walls.
❤️ Here is how you can help spread the love of Island Montessori ❤️
Here are some options to consider:
1) Invite a friend of yours or your student to contact the school, ask for a tour, fill out an application.
2) Use this survey link to sign up to be featured in a promotional video about our school. Your voice matters. Instead of the same video we have been showing for years, we want to create a video about our school featuring our families! If you are comfortable being on video or sharing your thoughts to be featured in the video, click here.
3) Niche - it is one of the most viewed websites for families considering schools. There is an opportunity for families to write a review of our school. Currently, we have 2! Please consider writing a review and sharing some wonderful stories about our Montessori Environment. Click here
💕 Valentine's Day Reminders 💕
If your class is doing valentines...
Please remember that we try to avoid students getting a large amount of sweet treats! Also, we want to make sure all students are included and feeling loved. Please make sure if you choose to participate in valentines, that you provide on for each child in the classroom.
We encourage students make cards, share jokes, draw pictures - find ways that may not cost a penny to show how they care for their friends and teachers!
If you feel the need to include something with a card, here are a few ideas that the students will enjoy and are a bit cost efficient:
Counselor's Corner
with Ms. Mackenzie
Hello IMS families, and Happy New Year! We are well underway in 2024 and this month our guidance focus was perspective taking and goal setting. The new year is always a great time to reflect on resolutions, what we want our year ahead to look like, and how we want to make it happen! Middle school classes discussed SMART goals and how to set goals that set them up for success. They practiced setting goals for themselves academically and personally.
For upper, lower and kinder, our focus was on perspective taking and respect to others and our community. Coming back from winter break, discussing expectations of respect to our classroom community is always a great refresher! Kinder and LE listened to a book titled “What if Everybody Did That,” which sends the message that sometimes actions that may seem small if done by an individual just one time, would make a huge impact if done by many people, such as not picking up after themselves, or interrupting someone speaking. Seconaly, UE students viewed a short clip on an argument between two people that did not take into consideration the perspective of the other person. This created a discussion around respect to others perspectives and trying to “step into someone else’s shoes.”
In February, we will tie all of these themes together in lessons on self-respect and self-esteem! Goal setting and accomplishing goals can boost our confidence and self-esteem, and while respect is important to others and the community, it is equally important to treat yourself with respect!
*Don’t forget - We have our career day coming up in April! I will be finalizing volunteers later this month, if you have not had a chance to express interest or share with someone who might be interested, here is the link to the form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ltL5ssZuYWl24EwVIfwYO8TuAN-rb-R79D0IJFx7t1Q/edit I am so excited to see all of the interest and diverse careers we have represented so far!
Resources:
Read
“What if Everybody Did That” (K/LE)
Watch
Snack Attack | Animated Short Film (UE)
Discuss
Optical Illusions - talk about what you see, and if everyone involved sees the same things! (LE/UE)
SMART goals - (MS)