News

Thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of dozens of parent volunteers and our Middle school students, Primary and Elementary students enjoyed a fabulous Field Day! A special thank you to parent co-chairs Sheryl Clark, Maria Healy, Wendy Sandvi and Shama Shah. This eagerly anticipated event includes cooperative activities, friendly competition, delicious snacks and plenty of great photos ops!  Make sure to see our Facebook page for more photos later today!

As our 2019 graduates prepare for high school in the fall, our 2015 graduates will also be off to new adventures in August!  In addition to her Development role, Lauren Stevenson is also in charge of Alumni Relations and has done a great job staying in touch with our recent grads during high school. Many of them have shared their college choices with her, and we wanted to share their exciting news with our current families.  After all, the proof is in the pudding!

Members of Springmont's Class of 2015 will attend the following:
•    Agnes Scott College
•    Auburn University
•    Brown University
•    Rice University
•    Tulane University
•    United States Naval Academy
•    The University of Colorado - Boulder
•    The University of Georgia - Honors Program
•    The University of Kentucky
•    The University of South Carolina
•    Wake Forest University

After Friday's Annual Meeting of the Members, we are happy to announce the unanimous election of two new Trustees!  We thank them in advance for their service.

Leandro Santos is a Partner at McKinsey & Co. with strategy, growth, merger and integration, finance, operations and digital/technology experience, primarily in the High Tech and Telecom industries. In addition, Leandro has served as an external expert advisor for the last four years to the Board of Directors of the Technology Business Management Council, a non-profit technology standards organization to improve IT financial management.   Leandro has his Bachelor of Science from State University of Campinas in Brazil, his Bachelor of Business Administration from Pontific Catholic University of Campinas in Brazil and an Executive MBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University. Leandro and his wife, Carol, have three children at Springmont – one each in Chris’ Lower Elementary class, Nicole’s Upper Elementary class and Remzije’s Toddler Class. 

Hamilton Williams is Associate Principal with the architectural and engineering firm of GreenbergFarrow.  Hamilton has worked within the commercial land development industry for over twenty years.  His firm provides expert land development consulting, program management and design services to retailers, developers and owners that have a national and international footprint.  Outside of work, Hamilton volunteers with multiple recreational and sporting communities as a coach and team parent, donates design and trade experience to local start-up companies, coordinates community service participation opportunities and participates in statewide trail maintenance and watershed clean-up events.  Hamilton earned his Bachelor of Landscape Administration at the University of Georgia.   Hamilton currently serves on the Facilities Committee and the Landschool Board.  Hamilton and his wife, Kristen, have one child at Springmont in Chris’ Lower Elementary class. 
 

Today's Springmont Weekly News is the last edition until August 5, but please be on the lookout for summer communications that will provide:

• Class placement (if applicable),
• Links to our updated Key Information Parent Handbook,
• Invitations to our early August Springmont Expo/Meet & Greet morning and Opening Night,
• Welcome back letters from Teachers,
• Information about our Strings Program,
• Early Care/Extended Day, Fall Enrichment and Semester I Pizza Shop registration,
• and reminders about Elementary and Middle School Summer Assignments.

2019-20 calendar dates will be posted over the course of the next two weeks.

Toddler Care and Primary Summer Camp are in session 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. (with Extended Day available until 5 p.m. for Primary only) during the weeks of June 3, 10, 17 & 24 and July 8, 15 & 22.

Effective Monday, June 3, administrative office hours will be 9 a.m.- 3 p.m., Monday-Friday. Administrators also take vacation during June and July so you may wish to email or call ahead if you need to see a specific person.

Save the Dates:

• All Toddler and Primary students and their parents/caregivers are invited to join Cara and Andrea at Chastain Park's playground for Summer Playdates on Thursday, June 13, at 10 a.m. and Tuesday, July 9, at 10 a.m.! Meet new friends and keep connections with old ones. Water and lemonade will be provided…just come and enjoy!  
• Rising 4th-year Upper Elementary students and their families are invited to join Nicole and Ellen for a service project on Wednesday, June 12, 4:30-6 p.m.  Come make toys and treats for an animal rescue center while enjoying a tasty summer treat yourself! 

It was exciting to have so many grandparents and special friends on campus last Friday!  As I mentioned in my comments, experiential learning and outdoor education are two very important parts of a Springmont education, aspects that set our student experience apart from that of other independent and public schools. As Richard Louv details in his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, the relationship between children and the natural world is critical to their health and well-being, boosting mental acuity and creativity and reducing obesity and depression. Too many children are at risk of becoming alienated from the natural world and experiencing what Louv terms nature-deficit disorder. Springmont’s Landschool program is an antidote, and having a second activity bus will make reaching that facility as well as the other community-based learning opportunities teachers integrate into student learning easier and more efficient. 

On Friday, grandparents and special friends donated generously to our “Get on the Bus” campaign.  In addition to thanking them, I want to remind you, our parents, that it’s not too late!  Your contribution towards the second bus’ down payment means that the funds we have been spending on rentals can be reallocated to other areas of need, further enriching your child’s Springmont experience.  Ready to help?  Click here to "Get on the Bus!" – no amount is too small, every donation counts, and I thank you in advance.  

After months of practice and rehearsals, Upper Elementary students presented this year's musical, Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach, Jr. to a packed house on Friday evening. Congratulations to the students and a big thank you to Music Teacher Carissa Gibson and Springmont parent and choreographer Jan Margaret Llorey for creating such a positive student experience and wonderful show!  Look for more pictures on Facebook later today!

It's always our pleasure to host such important members of our extended Springmont community! From glimpses of our Outdoor Education program and the Upper Elementary Musical to the Spanish poem and Bee Song performed by students, the program in the Pavilion captivated and delighted our audience. Classroom visits allowed students to share lessons, work and friendships, illustrating the everyday experiences that make Springmont extraordinary.  Look for more pictures on Facebook later this week!

It's almost time to say good-bye (for now!) to our 8th-year students. Please help us celebrate their achievements and experiences at our 16th Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 24, at 6:30 p.m. You won't want to miss the chance to hear each student speak about his/her Springmont experience, hopes and dream for the future, and words of wisdom for classmates. If you are not already absolutely sure that Springmont is the right place for your family, this moving testimony to the Springmont experience is one you don't want to miss!

All books currently checked out from the library are due this Friday, May 17. There are no overdue fines, but if you have misplaced the book, the library will ask for a replacement fee. Questions? Contact Leslie Wachter, Media Center Specialist.

MEO stands for Micro-Economy Other and is a Middle School class where we do activities to help the school. For example, we harvest food grown at school - there are the eggs hatched by our chickens, the mushrooms we grow on logs and the vegetables from our gardens. “Micro-economy” stands for activities we do for the school and the “Other” part of MEO is everything else we do. 

In Montessori middle schools, micro-economies give students opportunities to raise and manage money, to choose and donate to a charity, and to support middle school programs. Springmont Middle School’s micro-economy helps fund our End of Year Trip as well as a day trip to celebrate the end of the year. Last year, we went to St. Simon’s Island and this year we are going to Washington D.C. Our Pizza Shop money helped fund these trips.  Last year MEO funded a trip to Adventure Air Sports.  

The schedule for micro-economies is different from our other Middle School classes. In our core classes, we are assigned a particular schedule for the whole year. For micro-economies, half the class is in MEO while the other half is doing Pizza Shop. We switch from MEO to Pizza Shop and vice versa around the middle of the school year, right after Winter Break.  In the fall, MEO organizes fundraising events such as the Middle School Fall Festival and the Lower Elementary Musical concessions. In the spring, we schedule and run Carpool Cafes and Middle School Markets.

Next year, MEO might be able to harvest honey from our new bees. The Middle School is always looking for new opportunities to provide homemade goods to the Springmont community. I hope we can improve even more next year.