News

At Springmont, we have been celebrating Earth Day, officially, since 2008. Unofficially, we have celebrated it every day since the inception of our core values. Of course, Maria Montessori recognized that the connection between children and the earth is a vital one. “The land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the Earth.” Springmont’s core value, Stewardship of the Environment, prompts us to guide even our youngest students towards respect for and awareness of the natural world and their responsibility for it.

As the warnings about climate change increase, many are compelled to ask what we can do to help and offset our own impact on the planet? This year’s Earth Day theme is Invest In Our Planet, and at  https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2022/, you can find a full breakdown of what Invest In Our Planet means, including a toolkit of things that we, as individuals, can do to invest in the planet, and by default, invest in our children’s future.

In a Montessori environment, you will notice that students, even Toddlers, typically drink from breakable glassware, eat off china plates, and use actual silverware. Not only does this teach children to handle dinnerware and glassware carefully, but it has the added benefit of eliminating single-use plastic items destined for the landfill! Springmont has committed to using compostable dinnerware and drinkware at our events and, in the future, will be working with a company to collect this waste for disposal at a composting facility.

Children at Springmont are also taught to compost food scraps. They understand that from those banana peels, eggshells, and half-eaten apples, comes beautiful, rich organic soil that is then used in our campus gardens to grow vegetables and flowers. Did you know that 60% of your waste stream is compostable? All of that waste could be diverted back into the nutrient cycle by composting, saving land space and generating less methane. Composting is easy; if you need some tips, please contact me at mwolfersberger@springmont.com.

Another initiative we are undertaking this year is an electronics recycling event! Got an old computer, cell phone, or gaming console? This week, in conjunction with Novus Solutions, we will be holding an E-Recycling Drive. This is a great way to divert e-waste from landfills where highly toxic chemicals can leach into the soil and water table. Chemicals and heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury need to be disposed of properly to avoid contamination of surrounding areas. You drop off your unwanted items, and someone else handles their proper disposal – it’s a win-win!

We hope everyone will join us to celebrate Earth Day 2022 - Invest In Our Planet - and commit to becoming a steward of the environment.

This year, in keeping with our core value, Stewardship of the Environment, and in celebration of Earth Day, we are partnering with Novus Solutions for an E-Recycling Drive. Families are invited to gather their electronic clutter (including items like hairdryers, cellphones, laptops, tablets, printers, gaming consoles, cables, wires, etc.) and bring it to campus today through Monday, April 25, at 9 am. 

Unwanted electronics may be placed in the large cardboard bins in the Pavilion between 8:45 am and 2:00 pm each day this week and until 9 am on Monday, April 25. Please do not attempt to drop off items during arrival and dismissal carpool times. Because we are charged by the pound to have the items recycled, we are requesting a $15 donation for computer monitors, televisions, and other bulky items. Click here to make your donation.

After two long years of renovations and a pandemic, it was with great fanfare that the Middle School took the inaugural trip up to the new and improved facility at the beginning of March! The weather was perfect, and the students reveled in the opportunity to rediscover both the indoor and outdoor spaces. For our 8th graders, it was bittersweet because it would be their first trip Middle School Landschool trip and their last.

We often get asked why do we have a landschool or what’s so special about it? As usual, the answers lie in our Montessori roots and Dr. Montessori’s words. 

“There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all the life to be found around them, in a real forest. Something emanates from those trees which speaks to the soul, something no book, no museum is capable of giving.”

“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… so that the child may better understand and participate in the marvelous things which civilization creates.”

However, my favorite quote by far is: “Let the children be free; … let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and, when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; … let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning as it wakes every living creature that divides its day between waking and sleeping.”

The Landschool is an unrivaled gift. It allows children time away, to disconnect (literally and figuratively!) from the everyday and reconnect with nature and each other. Students are given free time to play in the creek, build teepees in the woods, get tired and dirty, and enjoy a sense of independence which we encourage in our children but often don’t give them the time or space to find!

Lessons on ecology, fire building, the work of water, and plant identification are combined with opportunities to hone cooking skills, team building, and responsibility. For some children, it is their first time away from their families. They find a strength they didn’t know they had as they return and realize they got through it independent of mom and dad! 

Upper Elementary students look forward to day trips at the end of this month, and next year, we hope to welcome all levels back to the Landshool! In the meantime, we hope your family will take the opportunity to attend the Annual Meeting & Picnic at the Landschool on April 23rd. Please see the additional info and link to RSVP below and come see what all the buzz is about! Bring a picnic to enjoy outside, hike to the pond, check out the trails, and see the wonderful renovations. We hope to see you up there!

Upper Elementary students guided by Music Teacher Carissa Gibson and other staff members are hard at work preparing for this year's Upper Elementary Musical, Annie Jr.! 

Annie Jr. follows the story of an orphan named Annie living a “hard-knock life” at The New York City Municipal Orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. Annie dreams of being reunited with her parents and takes action to find them. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations, befriends President Franklin Roosevelt, and finds a new family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

Participating in a performance of this kind has many benefits for students including opportunities to build self-confidence, self-expression, creativity, memory skills, and teamwork while overcoming any fears about public speaking. Students also develop an appreciation for the arts as they experience all the hard work that goes into learning lines, songs, and choreography and preparing props, stage sets, and the other behind-the-scenes elements of performing arts.

The performance will be held on campus on Friday, May 6, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Upper Elementary families (parents and siblings) plus 2 guests (grandparents, special friends, etc.) are invited to see the performance live.  Lower Elementary students will see the dress rehearsal with their classes. We hope to be able to offer a live stream for the rest of our community to watch from home that evening, as well as a digital download for purchase.

Based on the success of last year's summer events, we're excited to offer several opportunities for current and new families to gather on campus over the summer months. We have scheduled a Toddler/Primary playdate as well as early evening picnic gatherings for all levels. Come out and meet some new families, connect with families in other classrooms, and have FUN!  For the playdate, just show up with children ready to play!  For the picnics, bring a blanket and dinner for your family. We’ll provide some games and activities!  See the schedule of events below and add them to your calendar; no need to RSVP!

• Thursday, June 16:  Upper Elementary/Middle School Campus Picnic on the Lawn, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 28:  Lower Elementary Campus Picnic on the Lawn, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
• Thursday, June 30:  Toddler/Primary Playdate on the Springmont playground, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
• Tuesday, July 12:  Primary Campus Picnic on the Lawn, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
• Thursday, July 21:  Toddler Campus Picnic on the Lawn, 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Each year Springmont Elementary & Middle School students submit their work to the Georgia River of Words Poetry & Art Contest hosted by Georgia Project WET, a part of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. In addition to promoting creativity, this competition helps students learn about the watershed in which they live and the importance and value of protecting one of our most precious natural resources. Georgia entries are judged by the Georgia Center for the Book and the GA Environmental Protection Division.

Springmont is proud to have the following 5 students as winners and finalists! Upper Elementary student Andrew Johnson’s Owl is a National Finalist. Springmont’s Georgia State Winners include Lower Elementary student Canaan Gray’s Cardinal, Upper Elementary student Celeste Beaty’s Axolotl, Upper Elementary student Sriram Somasundaram’s Moon Rising, and Middle School student Velika Nayak’s Untitled. The Georgia River of Words Awards Ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 1, at the DeKalb County Library in Decatur.

We are so proud of our creative and environmentally conscious students who join Springmont’s legacy of having at least one winner for the last 13 years! Thank you to Art Teachers Theresa Dean and Claire Tadeo for guiding this endeavor.

The Springmont School Board of Trustees heartily invites and encourages all members of the Springmont School community to join them for our annual Meeting of Members and Picnic at the newly renovated Landschool on Saturday, April 23, 2022. 

The Board will provide hamburgers and veggie burgers together with buns and condiments. Please RSVP using the link in Springmont Weekly News by April 19 and let us know if you prefer hamburgers or veggie burgers. Each family should bring their own side dishes, drinks, desserts, plates, utensils, and picnic blankets and/or folding chairs. Parking will be on the lawn near the Landschool Pavilion, and families will need to walk up the gravel driveway to the Landschool lodge and upper lawn where the picnic will take place.  Please dress comfortably for the weather, remembering that North Georgia is often cooler than Atlanta.  The Landschool is a rustic environment with woodland paths, a creek, wildlife, etc., so dress for the woods.