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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 - August 2022
Celebrating Maria Montessori's Birthday!
August 29, 2022
Last week I enjoyed visiting with our 8th-year students during lunch. Since they are now the student leaders on campus, we discussed attributes of leadership. I asked them to each share an example of a leader they admire and the specific qualities they felt made that person an exceptional leader. They named coaches, civil rights activists, business owners, an athlete, an astronaut, and a mom. The attributes they most admired included having a sense of humor, being firm, the ability to connect with people, honesty, attentive listening, kindness, the courage to create something from the ground up, creative and unconventional approaches to accomplishing change, self-advocacy, the ability to motivate others to come from behind to achieve victory, standing up for what you believe in, the wisdom of life lessons handed down by a mother, and risking everything for the sake of something bigger than themselves.
This week, on the anniversary of her birthday, August 31, 1870, we celebrate the visionary leadership of Maria Montessori and the advancements she made in the field of education. Dr. Montessori advocated for herself to be able to pursue a career in medicine and excelled in her field of study despite being isolated from and ridiculed by her male peers. She was an advocate for women’s rights and equal pay. While working at the psychiatric clinic of the University of Rome, Montessori recognized the potential in children cast aside by society due to perceived learning differences. Later, during her time as Co-Director at the Orthophrenic School, she designed a learning environment where those children could be educated in an inclusive manner. Her first Primary Classroom, Casa dei Bambini, opened in the slums of San Lorenzo, Italy, in 1907. Montessori schools became increasingly popular throughout the United States and Europe until the rise of fascism, when all of her schools in Germany and Italy were closed by Hitler and Mussolini. Dr. Montessori refused to incorporate her schools into the fascist youth movement. Because she and her son, Mario, were Italian citizens, they were held under house arrest while in India during World War II. During this time, they conceived the Montessori Elementary Curriculum, known as cosmic education. Once the war ended, Dr. Montessori continued to travel throughout the world to speak about the Montessori method and train future Montessori guides. She established the Association Montessori Internationale, headquartered in the Netherlands, to continue her work. Until 2005, the leadership of Association Montessori Internationale remained within Dr. Montessori’s family. Maria Montessori died May 6, 1952, in the Netherlands. Throughout her career, Dr. Montessori believed the greatest hope for humanity existed in the potential of young children, and she dedicated her life to revolutionizing the education system to help children realize this potential, work that resulted in three Nobel Peace Prize nominations, among other global accolades. Over 100 years later, Dr. Montessori’s principles are still in practice and planting seeds of change in children throughout the world.
At Springmont, we strive to honor Dr. Montessori’s legacy each day. My hope is that our students recognize in themselves the very attributes they identified in the leaders they admire, as well as those of Dr. Montessori, and that they fulfill her vision by becoming the leaders who change humanity for the better.
In celebration of Dr. Montessori's birthday, classes will be participating in special activities, and we encourage our school community to wear their Springmont gear on Wednesday, August 31.
Transparent Classroom
August 29, 2022
Parents often wonder how their children learn in the unique and amazing world of Montessori! We understand that sometimes it can be difficult to understand what your children are telling you about their lessons, materials, work, and day-to-day experiences. With that in mind, we are excited to share that Toddler, Primary, and Elementary parents have an additional avenue of communication and insight, Transparent Classroom!
Transparent Classroom is an online tool designed for Montessori schools. It allows parents to see pictures of their children along with links to information about many of the Montessori materials. As we continue to roll out this platform, additional explanations and information will become available. In the meantime, if you have questions about a specific material or activity, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s Teacher via email for more information.
Parents received introductory information via email last Thursday, August 25, and their emailed invitation to set up their Transparent Classroom account last Friday, August 26. If you did not receive your emails, please check your Spam folder and then contact Cara Friedline at cfriedline@springmont.com.
Girl Scouts at Springmont!
August 29, 2022
Is your child interested in Girl Scouts? Led by Lower Elementary parent volunteers, Girl Scout Troop 15537 hopes to begin meeting at Springmont every other Monday from 3-4 p.m. beginning in mid-September. Look for more information to be shared soon, but please contact Paula (LaLa) Larson at paulasina@yahoo.com if you would like to express interest or if you have any questions.
Springmont Participates in the 2022 Great Georgia Pollinator Census
August 22, 2022
For the past several years, Springmont has participated in the Great Georgia Pollinator Census, a citizen scientist program run by UGA. This program is designed to determine what effects habitat loss, pesticide and herbicide use, and entomological diseases are having on our pollinators. on Friday, alongside students and citizens all over Georgia and South Carolina, Springmont Elementary went outside and counted the honeybees, carpenter bees, bumblebees, butterflies, flies, wasps, and other insects they saw. Middle School students were on hand to assist our younger students, and the data will be sent to UGA. Click here to see more photos, and visit www.ggapc.org for more information and activities!
Have you tried Yay Lunch!?
August 22, 2022
Springmont's new lunch delivery partner is Yay Lunch!, which provides freshly made, balanced lunches for students through a simple online ordering process. Parents may place orders for their children by Sunday at 12 noon for lunch delivery Tuesday-Friday the following week. Register today to view menus and receive additional information!
• Tuesday's menu items come from Gusto! and include healthy bowls and foldies.
• Wednesday's menu items come from Smokeshow BBQ and include tacos, mac & cheese, sliders, and quesadillas.
• Thursday's menu items come from Farm Burger and include chicken tenders, grilled cheese, and burgers.
• Friday's menu items come from Einsteins Bros. Bagels and include avocado toast, egg & cheese bagels, and other bagel sandwiches.
Yay Lunch! is offering 20% off when you use the code SAYYAY20 at checkout. This offer ends October 2 and applies to one week of orders.
Resources for Parents
August 15, 2022
Because Montessori is more a way of life than an isolated educational pedagogy, it is essential for parents to partner with teachers to best support their children's growth and development. In addition to attending Back to School Nights and Parent Education events, parents may wish to learn more about Montessori by reading some of the resources shared during our Parent Orientations last week.
For All Parents:
• Montessori Today by Paula Polk Lillard
• Montessori Madness!: A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education by Trevor Eissler
• The Blessing Of A Skinned Knee: Raising Self-Reliant Children by Wendy Mogul
• Positive Discipline: The Classic Guide to Helping Children Develop Self-Discipline, Responsibility, Cooperation, and Problem-Solving Skills by Jane Nelsen
• How to Raise an Amazing Child The Montessori Way by Tim Seldin
• Simone Davies hosts a website, The Montessori Notebook, a podcast and a blog with lots of great information.
• Want a deeper dive? Explore The 1946 London Lectures by Maria Montessori herself!
For Parents of Younger Children:
• The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies and Hiyoko Imai is a guide to raising a curious and responsible child.
• Getting ready to welcome a new baby? The Montessori Baby by Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike contains hundreds of practical ideas.
Mark your calendars for the first meeting of the Springmont Parent Association - Sept 9!
August 15, 2022
All parents are members of the Springmont Parent Association and are invited to attend the first meeting of the 2022-23 school year! Co-Chairs Kristin Maiwand and Elizabeth Keromytis will host a Zoom meeting on Friday, September 9, beginning at 9 am! Make sure to join them to connect with other Springmont parents and to hear about volunteer opportunities! Please see the Zoom link for our September SPA Meeting in Springmont Weekly News!
Welcome from the Head of School
August 08, 2022
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the first week of school!
We had a productive week of pre-planning devoted to relationship building and finalizing logistics for the coming school year. Faculty and staff shared their perspectives on Maria Montessori’s quote, “The teacher must be the servant of nature. The highest thing she can do is to serve. The best she can do is to be a perfect servant, to show respect and care, and be humble.” We also shared stories of educators who were a significant influence in our lives. We allowed for a loose definition of educator, and it was notable how many of us referred back to our parents as the most significant influence on our lives. As we begin this school year, we look forward to building relationships with you, as well as partnering with you as educators of your children. As your child’s ‘home educator’ I encourage you to also reflect on Dr. Montessori’s quote and how it influences your role in their life.
This week we look forward to welcoming new families, celebrating move-ups to new classrooms, and sending our Middle Schoolers off to the Landschool for the remainder of the week. As you return to campus, I encourage you to spend time getting to know each other, welcoming both new and familiar faces into our community.
I wish you all the best for a wonderful first week!
Megan
Welcome from the Springmont Parent Association (SPA)
August 08, 2022
We are thrilled to let you know that Elizabeth Keromytis and Kristin Maiwand will be serving as Co-Chairs of the Springmont Parent Association (SPA)! In this role, they will be helping to build community by recruiting parent volunteers for various school events and faculty/staff appreciation opportunities.
All parents are automatically members of SPA and encouraged to get involved! The best way to stay up to date with SPA activities is to follow the Springmont Parent Association Instagram account as well as the SPA Facebook page.
Ready to sign up to help with one or more events? Click here to access QR codes that will lead you to the signup pages. And thank you to those who have already signed up!
The first SPA meeting of the 2022-23 school year will be held via Zoom on September 9 at 9 a.m. Stay tuned for more information!
Fall Enrichment Opportunities
August 08, 2022
Fall Enrichment includes many exciting and fun after-school opportunities for Primary, Elementary & Middle School students!
• Click here for information and registration for Fall 2022 Primary Enrichment (for students ages 4 and older by August 22 only)
• Click here for information and registration for Fall 2022 Elementary/Middle School Enrichment
Please note that classes have a minimum and maximum number 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 August 17 at 4 p.m. (Registrations received after this time are subject to availability and a $25 per child late registration fee.)
Questions? Email Tiffany Orem at torem@springmont.com
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