News
News
At Springmont, we’re proud of our school and like to share the accomplishments of our students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Here you’ll find information about Springmont, including recent school news, articles about our curriculum, and other interesting items. For additional press or media information, please contact Julie Strickland jstrickland@springmont.com or 404.252.3910.
Archives - December 2020
Middle School Showcase
December 14, 2020
Every other year, Springmont's Middle School students participate in the Future City Competition, a national STEM and engineering education program designed to help students apply engineering, math, and science concepts to real-world issues. In addition to preparing them to become citizens of today’s complex and technical world, the competition prompts students to learn about the engineering design process as well as to identify problems, brainstorm ideas, and design solutions. Simultaneous to exploring career options and learning how communities work, Future City is an engaging way to build students’ 21st-century skills, including writing and public speaking, problem-solving, time management and project management.
Future City starts with a question—how can we make the world a better place? To answer it, Middle School students are tasked with imagining, researching, designing, and building models of cities of the future showcasing their solutions to a sustainability issue. This year’s theme is Living on the Moon. Each team must design a futuristic lunar city and provide examples of how the city uses two Moon resources to keep its residents safe and healthy. Competition deliverables include a 1,500-word essay, a scale model built from recycled materials, a project plan, a presentation video, and a virtual Q&A session with judges.
To see our Middle School students’ work in progress, click on the link in Monday's Springmont Weekly News and then on each of the four pictures on the wall to see each team’s presentation of their work so far. To best enjoy the presentations, click on the Full-Screen button in the black band at the bottom of the class picture.
Please remember that our students are mid-way through the process - some structures are planned and built but not detailed, some technological systems are in place but are unfinished or not yet connected to other parts of the city, and final terrain features may not be present. Projects will be completed and submitted in January with interviews and judging in February. We will share pictures of the completed models and the results of the competition in February!
Meet Toddler Teacher Zaiba Farooqui
December 14, 2020
What do you wish people knew about Montessori or your classroom? The Montessori method of teaching inspires confidence and nurtures the child's innate desire for learning, discovery, and social interaction skills. It provides an environment where teachers are guides who encourage, engage and value the individual child. Children learn how to learn, and this prepares each child for future academic and social excellence.
What one thing distinguishes your teaching style? Guiding the little ones in a manner that promotes growth in all areas of development has always been my calling. Being the eldest of six siblings taught me a lot of important lessons, such as how to be nurturing, compassionate and patient, early in life. Hence, I feel my understanding and experience dealing with children goes way back, starting almost in my own childhood. This lifelong experience with children helps me establish trust early on and enables me to create a safe haven for the toddlers.
What is a special interest you bring into the classroom? I have a special fondness for caring for and nurturing indoor plants which is quite visible in my class environment. This helps children learn how to consider the needs of another living thing and the consequences if you don't. Growing something also teaches children the concept of delayed gratification. When you plant a seed or take care of a plant, you have to take care of it over a long period of time before you reap the fruits of your labor!
Meet Upper Elementary Teacher Ellen Boecker
December 14, 2020
What led you to become a Montessori Teacher, and how long have you been at Springmont? Montessori philosophy has been part of my life since I was three! My relationship with Montessori began as a child in a Primary class at MCDC (now Arbor Montessori) and continued until I completed the Upper Elementary program. Through my Montessori education, I was able to build a foundation that still serves me today.
Just as I was as a child, I am in awe of the vastness of the universe. I feel that learning is a never-ending and boundless process. I still have a great desire and love of learning and attribute that desire and love to my experiences as a child in a Montessori classroom.
Those experiences inspired me to reconnect with Montessori as an adult and ultimately to become an AMI Elementary teacher, allowing me to offer children the same opportunity to explore the universe. I have been intimately involved with the Montessori community for the last ten years, and my experiences have only deepened my appreciation of Montessori’s approach to education.
I joined Springmont in the fall of 2008, starting the second Upper Elementary class. It was a brand-new Elementary building with a brand-new class!
Tell us one way you help new children feel welcomed into the community of learners? I see each child as an individual with great value and gifts to offer to others. In addition, we are not only a community of learners but also teachers. Though I am the Lead Teacher, I am not the only teacher in the room.
What do you love best about Springmont? So many things! But if I must choose what I love the best, it is the children, of course! I spend my days with the most amazing individuals and am delighted to support their academic, social, and emotional growth! I also get to peer into the minds of the future! What could be better?
Why It's Important to be at School on Time
December 14, 2020
Students arriving to school with time to spare have the luxury of settling in, greeting their teachers and classmates, selecting preferred classwork, and focusing their minds on the lessons to come. Students arriving late miss out on this natural transition period, and chronic tardiness may cause students to struggle with academic focus and relationships with peers. Showing up on time to school every day can help students develop the habit of being punctual, illustrates to them your commitment to their learning and friendships, and helps reduce classroom interruptions and distractions for all students. Missing just 15 minutes of school twice a week equates to 3 missed school days per year!
As we consider the possibilities for 2021, a new year and a fresh start, we ask all Springmont families to make a renewed commitment to arriving on time. This helps your child's teacher and classmates AND your child. If you would like tips on smoothing out your family's morning routine, please reach out to Cara or Nikki; they are a wealth of experience and sound advice.
iChange Collaborative Parent Workshop Recording and DEI Resources
December 07, 2020
Thank you to all the families who joined us for iChange Collaborative’s Parent Workshop: Let’s Get Real: Talking about Race with Children. If you weren’t able to join us last Tuesday evening or would like to watch it again, please find the link in today's Springmont Weekly News.
As many of you know, Springmont began a deep dive into issues of diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) in the summer of 2019. Faculty and staff committed to discussing issues related to DEI through book groups, meetings, and group activities. In addition, faculty and staff participated in a professional development workshop with iChange not long before we were forced into remote learning early last spring.
Despite the physical interruption, many faculty members continued their DEI work, spending the summer participating in anti-bias anti-racist workshops and furthering their reading. This fall, Springmont recommitted to this important work. In addition to last Tuesday's parent workshop, iChange is meeting regularly with our Faculty/Staff DEI Committee who is helping to plan upcoming professional development workshops for faculty and staff. Board members will also have an opportunity to meet with iChange, and another parent discussion forum will be offered later this year.
As those of you who are active in anti-bias anti-racist work in your own jobs and personal lives know, this is not a “one-off” experience, but work that is persistent and continuous. We are so glad that the Springmont community has such a deep commitment to this work and look forward to everyone joining us on this journey.
Parent participants were eager for additional resources, so here are a few shared by our speakers Danielle Stewart and Martha Caldwell:
iChange Collaborative Resource List: Race
Article: Seven Questions You Can Use To Talk With Your Children About The Unrest In America
Kudos to our Lower Elementary Students!
December 07, 2020
Guided by Music Teacher Carissa Gibson, Lower Elementary students premiered their Song Cycle, I Have a Dream, yesterday afternoon! If you didn't get to see it yesterday, it's not too late. Look for the link in today's Springmont Weekly News!
After weeks of practice, students were individually recorded singing their cohort's song of peace, harmony and social justice. The songs, accompanied by visuals and tied together by texts read by the students, were used to create a very meaningful and moving virtual performance.
Songs include:
"I Have a Dream" sung by Chris' Cohort B students
"Get on Board" sung by Patricia's LE ROLO students
"The Rhythm of My Soul" sung by Livia's Cohort B students
"Like a Mighty Stream" sung by Livia's Cohort A students
"We Live the Dream" sung by Chris' Cohort A students
December Food & Personal Care Drive
December 07, 2020
As the November Food Drive was such a success, the Springmont Parent Association (SPA) has organized another one for December! Please feel free to drop off food or personal care items from the list below at morning carpool through December 18. Toddler/Primary parents, please remain in your vehicle and hand donations to staff members assisting with carpool. Elementary/Middle School parents, your students may drop items in the labeled boxes on the cul-de-sac benches on the way to class. Donations will go to Solidarity Sandy Springs. Please contact Ann Colonna at ann_eskew@yahoo.com with any questions.
Requested items: peanut butter, jelly, cereal, canned fruit and vegetables, cooking oil, pasta, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, feminine products, and diapers (size 4 and 5 needed most).
Meet Primary Teacher Jeanie Fox
December 07, 2020
What led you to become a Montessori Teacher, and how long have you been at Springmont? In 2005, when my now 19-year-old niece was about 3, I was enamored by her spirit and curiosity and fell in love with that age. I was in the middle of a career change and began to wonder if working with preschool children was the next path to explore. I was hired to be an assistant at a Montessori school and was immediately in awe of Montessori education and how it followed the child while creating a love for learning. I never looked back! I took the training 2 years later and have been a lead guide ever since.
Tell us one way you help new children feel welcomed into your community of learners? Welcoming a new child into your community is so special. As a guide, observing carefully and taking note of any hesitations or uncertainties that may or may not be present is key. I think one of the most important things you can do when a new child enters your community is to create a bond and a trust. When a child feels safe, respected and seen as an individual, he/she is much more open to the guidance of the teachers and usually proceeds with joy and confidence.
What is a special interest you bring into the classroom? I have a theatre background, so I love to sing and act. I often will sing a child’s name in order to get his/her attention. I love to turn lessons, or any phrase, quite frankly, into songs. I think the children really enjoy it and it certainly helps with memorization! I also have a great love for animals and often tell stories about my own pets. The children love to hear stories about our dogs!
Meet Middle School Teacher Thomson Chuites
December 07, 2020
What led you to become a Montessori Teacher, and how long have you been at Springmont? This may seem like a fairytale, but it's a true story! After college, I spent a year in France teaching English. One weekend I visited Bergamo, a picturesque city in the Italian Alps and, unbeknownst to me at the time, an important center for Montessori teacher training. In Bergamo’s città alta (“upper town”), there is a ruined fortress atop a tall hill, where I planned a midday break and picnic. I found the ruins under restoration, and in the central keep was a small room with an elderly Italiana who kindly offered me green grapes and a cup of champagne. Her grandson, a young teenager, sat across from her with a trifold board describing his research project: the benefits of using local craftsmen and local materials to reconstruct the fortress. In perfect English, he told me how his Montessori school allowed him the freedom to undertake such an ambitious project. When I returned to the U.S., I began my career as a Montessori educator on the west coast, later moved to Atlanta, and have been at Springmont for four years.
Do you have a favorite area of the classroom? Is there a particular lesson you like to give to new students and why? My favorite area of the classroom is the outdoors—the gardens, trails, parks, and wild places. For a science teacher, the possibilities are endless. I particularly enjoy camping with students for the first time in their lives as it offers so many opportunities for independent challenges and life lessons.
What is a special interest you bring into the classroom? I am interested in food science, which always has a special appeal to adolescents. We are currently testing how to properly process acorns into edible flour using a Native American technique.
Health & Safety Update
December 07, 2020
As communicated in Head of School Jon Alden's December 4 Update, here are a few health & safety updates for families:
After much investigation into the possibility of on-campus COVID testing of students and staff to augment the health and safety protocols already in place and meetings with potential vendors, it was determined that on-campus COVID testing is not appropriate for our community at this time; the costs and obstacles significantly outweigh the benefits. As always, Springmont will continue to stay abreast of all best practices and testing options available to school communities.
We are aware that CDC has updated its quarantine guidance; however, Springmont will not be altering our COVID quarantine policies at this time. Our success in mitigating the spread of the virus speaks for itself, and part of that success is a conservative approach to all things COVID. We appreciate the families who have already quarantined and the future cooperation of those who are asked to do so. As always, the health and safety of the school community as a whole is our topmost priority and asking for a full 14-day quarantine is still the gold-standard recommendation, adding substantial peace of mind for all – students, families, teachers and staff.
As a reminder, our COVID Handbook and Daily Health Screening require that if you have any reason to believe anyone in your household has or has been exposed to COVID-19, you and your child(ren) remain off campus. If anyone in your household has symptoms, knows or suspects they have been exposed, or has a test pending, your child(ren) should stay home and Springmont should be notified via feedback@springmont.com.
Our current plan is to have Upper Elementary classes resume fully On Campus Learning on Tuesday, January 19, after the ML King Jr. Day holiday. Please note that this tentative decision is based on input received from the parent survey earlier this fall and the current success we have seen ending the Hybrid program at the Lower Elementary level. We will review all the data points, both on campus and in the wider community, when we return from Winter Break and provide a final decision and schedule to families on Friday, January 8.
As always, if you have questions, concerns or opinions to share, please email feedback@springmont.com. Your email will be shared with administrators and addressed promptly.