News

We’re excited to continue our Parent Education series and look forward to Freedom and Responsibility on Tuesday, March 12, beginning at 4:30 p.m. in Livia’s classroom.  Although this presentation will be geared toward Elementary parents/guardians, all parents are warmly welcome to attend! 

Elementary children are key players in building the system of justice in Montessori environments! Not only does this make them much more likely to manage themselves accordingly, but they are also much more likely to be able to implement it with each other without adult intervention. For Elementary-age children, a system of justice must be grounded in their collective experiences and requires a balance of freedoms and responsibilities. As with all components of learning, Montessori teachers provide a hands-on, visual representation that helps even very young children understand that a certain amount of freedom placed on one side of the balance, as pictured above, must have an equal amount of responsibility placed on the other side. Students come to understand that freedoms do not come without corresponding responsibilities!  We are excited to share more about this topic!

• Light refreshments will be served.
• Complimentary childcare is available 4:30-5:30 for currently enrolled students via the RSVP form.
• Due to limited on-campus parking, we ask that each family bring just one vehicle to campus. 

Kindly click the link in Springmont Weekly News to RSVP and reserve childcare by Monday, March 11, at 3 p.m.
 

Springmont’s Upper Elementary Recycling Club has collected over 250 lbs. of glass so far! The glass was weighed and picked up by the commissioner, and they have until April 1st to continue to collect as much as they can. You can help them take 1stplace in the competition by bringing your family’s glass recycling to the Pavilion! Please let your friends and neighbors know that our students would love to have their clean glass items.  This effort highlights our students’ commitment to Stewardship of the Environment!

If you’ve been to the Springmont Auction before, you know this fun event features both an exciting live auction and a great silent auction! Bidders have the chance to take home amazing items, all while financially supporting our school. 

Auction items don’t come to us by chance; volunteers work hard to procure items from local businesses, but some of the most bid-upon things come from families in our community. In previous years, parents/guardians have donated:

• Signed Sports Memorabilia
• Home Goods (Terrariums, Art, etc.)
• Gift Certificates (Delta, Marriott Bonvoy, HKT Clothiers, etc.)
• Spa Treatments
• Parties (Beer Fest, Brazilian Dinner, Find Your Zen (yoga class and mimosas), Paella Night, Ladies Wine Night, etc.)
• Experiences (3-night Stay in Panama City Beach, Atlanta United Tickets, UGA Football Tickets, a Round of Golf at East Lake, etc.)

Please take a moment to consider what your family might have available to contribute to the auction.  Feel free to reach out to me at development@springmont.com with questions or ideas! 

Masterpieces that will be part of the live auction are in progress in classrooms across campus! Pictured is the start of a gold leaf art project from the study of Illuminated Letters being created by Livia’s Class!

We look forward to celebrating with you on April 13! Tickets are on sale now, along with great sponsorship opportunities. Check it out at Ticket Page (qtego.us)! 

Please join us for our Alumni Panel
Thursday, February 22, 2024
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. by ZOOM

Hear directly from Springmont graduates. Learn how their Montessori experience prepared them for their lives in high school, college and adulthood. Ask the questions you’ve been curious about and hear directly from those who have lived it, all from the comfort of your home.

Please click here to RSVP, including any questions you'd like our alums to address. The Zoom link will be shared before the event. We look forward to seeing you!
 

It’s time to sign up for Spring Enrichment, which begins March 11 and includes many exciting and fun after-school opportunities!

• Please note that classes have minimum and maximum numbers of participants and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. 
• Fees include a light after-school snack. 
• Registrations with full payment are due by Wednesday, March 6, at 4 p.m.(Registrations received after this time are subject to availability and a $25 per child late registration fee.) 

Primary Spring Enrichment - Click here for class descriptions and online registration. Please note that students must be 4 or older by March 11 to participate.

Elementary & Middle School Spring Enrichment - Click here for class descriptions and online registration.

Questions? Email Tiffany Orem 
 

Are you ready for some FUNdraising? Don't miss Denim & Diamonds, Springmont’s 60thAnniversary Auction! Join us for a fun and exciting cocktail-style event filled with long-standing Springmont traditions like the Wine Ring Toss, a paddle raise, blingy rings, and more!  

Sponsorships: Do you have a name in mind for the evening’s signature cocktail? Click here to check out the Diamond sponsorship and other sponsorship opportunities!

Event Tickets: Click here to buy your tickets now!

Donations: The Auction committee is currently accepting donations for items and experiences! Click here for the Auction Donation & Sponsorship form or contact development@springmont.com to make your donation. 

Twelve of Springmont's Middle School students will be traveling to New York City for the Montessori Model United Nations event in mid-March!  They will be hosting an on-campus Parents Night Out on Thursday, March 14, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. as a fundraiser for their trip! Families are invited to register their currently enrolled Springmont students, ages 5 - 10, for a fun evening of snacks, pizza, games, and more!  Students will be supervised by Elementary Division Head Allwyn Fitzpatrick and Middle School students.  

Click here to register by March 12 at 3:00 p.m. $40 per child or $75 for two!

Before the event, additional details will be provided to those who register.

Questions? Email Allwyn
 

Schoolhouse Fare offers lunch delivery for students and staff Tuesday-Thursday each week!  Select from delicious menu items from local restaurants including Panera, Chick-fil-A, Jason's Deli, and more!  

Click here to see the March calendar!

Click here to register and order!
 

Springmont's 6th-year Upper Elementary students are taking their glass recycling to the next level and have entered the 2023-24 Georgia Glass Recycling Contest! 

Beginning today, February 12, and continuing through March, our student-run Recycling Club encourages you to bring your used glass jars and bottles (clear, green, blue, and brown) to the designated cart in the Pavilion! Please bring items in a box or paper bag, making sure they have been washed and that the tops have been removed. (Bags with handles, like the paper bags from Trader Joe's, work perfectly for this.) Students will collect and sort the items. 

Commissioner Tim Echols will come to campus at the beginning of April to weigh our collection. From there, the glass will be taken to a facility in McDonough to be processed before making its final journey to Arglass, a glass manufacturing facility in Valdosta. 

Members of the Recycling Club look forward to attending the awards ceremony at Zoo Atlanta in April!
 

Please join us for our Alumni Panel
Thursday, February 22, 2024
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. by ZOOM

Hear directly from Springmont graduates. Learn how their Montessori experience prepared them for their lives in high school, college and adulthood. Ask the questions you’ve been curious about and hear directly from those who have lived it, all from the comfort of your home.

Please click here to RSVP, including any questions you'd like our alums to address. The Zoom link will be shared before the event. We look forward to seeing you!
 

In case you missed it at our commUNITY Dinner, the artwork created as part of the Middle School students’ research on Women of the Harlem Renaissance is on display in the Media Center and the hallway leading to it!  Click here for photos on Facebook!

Also in honor of Black History Month, Upper Elementary students just finished fun and colorful works inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a black artist whose career was propelled by his desire to see more diversity in the New York art scene. Basquiat was a neo-expressionist painter, graffiti artist, and musician who experienced a rise to fame in the 1980s. His mother supported his artistic endeavors from a young age and bought him the Grey’s Anatomy book. The scientific illustrations inspired his future work. 

Students began with a sketching exercise to create characters in a style similar to Basquiat’s. Then, they transferred their characters onto larger paper using bold colors and abstract forms. The results are eclectic and expressive! These pieces are on display in the Front Office!  Look for more photos on Facebook this week!
 

During the pandemic, we opted to forgo this traditional annual event, but Springmont's Auction is back!  This FUNdraising event helps build community, supports school enhancements, and provides financial assistance for students who otherwise might not be able to access Springmont. It is with great excitement that we look forward to gathering for Denim & Diamonds, Springmont’s 60th Anniversary Auction on April 13! 

Click here to buy your tickets now!

Want to get involved in the Auction? The Auction committee is currently accepting donations for items and experiences! Click here for the Auction Donation & Sponsorship form or contact development@springmont.com to make your donation. 

Sponsorship opportunities are also available for families and corporations and include excellent benefits! Check it out here.  

The origins of Black History Month reach back to September of 1915 when Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moreland founded an organization committed to increasing awareness about the achievements of Black Americans. Because the United States was founded by white Europeans, our recorded history has predominately been written and taught from that perspective. This organization was dedicated to shining a light on the significant role Black Americans played in the creation of our nation. By 1926, the group had dedicated the second week in February as a time to celebrate the contributions of Black Americans and Black History. February was chosen because it is the birth month for Fredrick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. This annual celebration gained momentum and spread across the country. However, it took five decades for the movement to reach a national level. In 1976, Black History Month was proclaimed a national heritage month. For many years, the teaching and coverage of Black History has been centered around enslavement and the fight for Civil Rights. While those are incredibly important pieces of Black lived experience in our country, they are not the full picture. That focus on struggle and overcoming diminishes or outright ignores the many ways in which the United States was shaped by Black people in a wide variety of social, political, and cultural roles. Let us take time this month to learn the names, accomplishments, and contributions of Black Americans who deserve to be honored.

Book List

From Media Center Specialist Leslie Wachter

Click here for a list of books we have in the Media Center, many of which have been distributed to the Elementary classrooms!
 

While supporting students in their social and emotional learning (SEL) is critical, research shows that supporting teachers and families yields even more robust results when it comes to bolstering positive well-being. 

School Counselors Dr. Ann Van Buskirk and Dr. Kimberly Robinson invite parents to join them for How to Talk with Your Children about Race, Culture, and Identity.  This discussion is open to all parents and caregivers and will be held on campus on Monday, February 12, beginning at 8:45 a.m. 

Kindly click the link in Springmont Weekly News to RSVP by Friday, February 9, at 4 pm.

Dr. Kim is a licensed psychologist who teaches at Georgia State, has a private practice in Snellville, and consults at Springmont weekly. Dr. Ann is a licensed psychologist and an adjunct faculty member at Emory. 
 

It was wonderful to have so many parents participate in our Dignity conversation last week. Our discussion was based on the book Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict by Donna Hicks, Ph.D. Please click here to access a PDF that includes the Essential Elements of Dignity, The Ten Temptations, Parenting with Dignity, additional Resources, and the Vulnerability Inventory.  

Kudos to Carissa, Ayanna, Claire, and our Teachers and students for an amazing program, and thank you to all the families who attended and brought delicious dishes!  Among the many lovely sentiments about why the dish was meaningful included on the food pan labels, here are a few:

• Cornbread muffins - [This is a] father and daughter childhood favorite
• Pancit - It comes from the Philippines, like part of our family.
• Vegetable Rice - It is a dish served at occasions in my mum's country, Nigeria.
• Puff Puff - In Cameroon, this is a great deep-fried snack to welcome guests.
• Pretzels with Za'atar (Beyrootzels)- It's fun to make - a blend of our German and Lebanese heritage.
• Pecan, Bacon, Gouda, Sausage Rolls - Classic British comfort food!
• Challah - It is part of our weekly Shabbat celebration
• Eggplant Parmesan - This is our family's eggplant parmesan recipe passed down from my grandmother who came from Naples, Italy.
• Tallarin Verde - It is a Peruvian staple passed down that our son loves as we continue to celebrate traditions.
• Spicy Cold Noodles - Cultural food is a reminder that wherever you go, your identity and values follow.
• Brazilian Cream of Chicken - [This] reminds me of Sunday lunch at my grandparents.
• Sweet Potato Cornbread - It's a blend of new and old traditions.
• Smoked Peruvian Chicken - It reminds us of our family gatherings in Peru!
• Antipasto - It represents the joy that is cultivated at the Italian dinner. table. Food and connection mean everything to Italians.

We couldn't have done it without the many people who helped with set-up, clean-up, and delivering the leftover food to Clifton Sanctuary - THANK YOU!  We would also like to recognize parent Marie-Laure Dujols and Le Jardin Francais for donating the beautiful flowers! 

We hope this was a fun and meaningful experience for your family. Look for more photos on Facebook later today!