Winter Sports will be starting in two weeks. You should have received the following pdfs in your email. Please read through and ensure you and your child are prepared for Wednesday, February 4th! If you have questions or concerns, please contact Ashlee Haslam at (801) 355 – 1555.
Parent-Letter-Skiing-and-Snowboarding.pdf
Chaperone-Letter-ICE-Skating.pdf
The biggest challenge parents face is their children’s drive for independence. A toddler or a preschooler’s drive for independence is even fiercer than a teenager’s. While a teenager may be looking to undo parental control your preschooler is looking to share control. They are trying to become part of your world by taking responsibility for their own actions.
This drive for independence is slow and messy. Learning to walk – the first great independence is full of falls and scares (more for Mom than for baby). And it is a slow and unsteady success. Even when they accomplish vertical independence their rate of locomotion impels us to pick them up and carry them if we want to get anywhere now.
Learning to feed oneself is a second (and very messy) independence. Graduating from hands to utensils is a major success of coordination and development. Again, if we want to finish dinner before breakfast we wind up feeding our child.
The third independence is the ability to communicate – to be able to share desires and wants. Ironically, after Ma Ma and Da Da often comes the independent word No.
The fourth independence is often the ability to dress oneself. It is often a laborious, time consuming frustrating adventure trying not to get your head in your sleeve or putting your pants on backwards. (“What do you mean I have my shoes on the wrong feet?” “These are the only feet I have.”) Stripes and polka dots are just fine together – blinding maybe – but fine. This is about independence not aesthetics or style.
The fifth independence is usually potty training. Children have their own timetable and level of comfort with the process. We often think they are trained when we constantly ask them if they have to go potty. This independence is achieved for their convenience not for ours, even though it is our convenience that pushes the training. My wife always shared with anxious parents that she had never been to a wedding where the bride or groom walked down the isle in pampers. Relax!
Their independence is bought at the cost of our time. Their fight for independence is against our schedules, against our limited flexibility in our day. They don’t mean to slow us down, they just want to do it themselves. They don’t mean to make messes (which takes time to clean up) they just want to do it themselves. How are they ever going to pour milk from the gallon jug unless they try (and try and try and try?)
The challenge of childhood independence is that it is never perfect. They can’t sweep a floor as well or as quickly or as thoroughly as the adult. But how will they ever learn unless they try? “I will just wait until they are older” is a proven recipe for unmotivated, incompetent, uninvolved teenagers who then resent the end of a ten or fifteen year ride of being served with no responsibility attached.
“Help me do it myself” is the foundation of adult responsibility birthed into our children long before they can do it by themselves. “Help me do it myself” is the great gift parents give their children. It is not only the accomplishment of the task that affects the children – giving rise to feelings of competence but it is the feeling of confidence that comes because they know that we believe in them. When we tell our children that they can achieve anything they set their hearts and minds to – they believe us because we have been their cheerleaders for independence and success.
Edward Fidellow
www.crossmountainpress.com
What: Admissions Information Meeting
When: Thursday, January 15th from 6:30 – 8:00pm
Where: Montessori Community School
Who: Parents interested in learning more about Montessori Community School.
Open to the public. Sorry, adults only – no childcare provided.
The teachers and administration of Montessori Community School would like to invite you to learn more about our program. During this hour and a half long presentation we will introduce our programs, administration and staff. And, you will have the opportunity to visit each of our classrooms and meet and greet with the teachers. We look forward to sharing our approach to education and the Montessori method.
Montessori Community School serves children aged 18 months through 8th grade and we offer an extended day program, 7:30am – 6:00pm.
Montessori Community School’s mission is to provide a rich, individualized educational experience, which guides and nurtures the natural unfolding of the whole individual and inspires a lifetime love of learning and peace.
MCS was “rocking” on Friday evening, May 29th, as two high school bands from The Wasatch Music Coaching Academy performed for attendees at the “End of Year Carnival.” The young performers impressed young and old alike with their performances and several children really showed off their moves during an outstanding rendition of Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.”
Along with dancing, the children really enjoyed sliding and bouncing on the inflatables, having their faces painted, and making their own cotton candy.
The buffet was a Taco Bar including tortillas, beans, beef and chicken, guacamole and all of the delicious accompaniments followed by fruit popsicles and ice cream sandwiches.
Parents sat in groups on Mexican blankets listening to the music, eating and watching their children play. It was a great time to catch up with other parents and to wish everyone a happy summer after this wonderful school year (in spite of the flood).
Special thanks to our PSA president Ann Beverley who ended her term with a “bang” by pulling off a brilliant event that was enjoyed by all. Thanks also to Pamela Bunnell for planning, prepping and overseeing the food, along with volunteers Ann Beverly and Adina Padilla. Many parents volunteered on this night to help make the event so successful and we are so grateful to all of you.
What a great way for us to end the school year.
This year, Montessori Community School particpated in a service learning opportunity that touched the lives of many by supporting a local charity.
This year, after looking into many areas of need in our community, we participated
in the Fill-the-Pack Project created by the Homeless Youth Resource Center. This relatively new program provides a way to get some basic survival necessities (toothbrushes, toiletries, hats, gloves, and blankets are just a few of the items in the packs) to teens that are living on the streets of Salt Lake City.
MCS provided two backpacks for each of our classrooms to fill with items from the Homeless Youth Resource Center needs list.There was such a wonderful response from our students and families! We were able to fill and deliver 24 backpacks plus many other various items that were brought in and donated. Imagining these teens out on the streets trying to make it- these backpacks were truly a heartfelt, supportive gift. We know our community felt the spirit of giving when one family filled two backbacks on their own and many students were talking about how grateful they are to have families supporting them and warm beds to sleep in at night. Our students kept trying to fit more and more into these packs. Their kind hearts and generosity was overwhelming.
Thank you to all the MCS families who helped with this tremendous project and learning opportunity. To find our more about the Homeless Youth Resource Center, please check out the following links:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead
When Annie Guerrero, mother of an MCS Upper Elementary student, came to us in October and presented her idea to screen an extreme skiing movie in order to raise funds to offset the losses from the flood, we loved her suggestion but had no idea where to begin. We were busy moving the classrooms, settling them in, communicating with parents; Robyn, the Head of School, was knee deep in choosing new tiles and cabinets, carpets, and baseboards. Fortunately, without much help from us Annie took her idea and saw it through every step of the way until it was realized on Wednesday, December 3.
Annie’s main goal was to provide MCS with a fundraiser at no cost to us. She and her husband Ryan Carlson began contacting and getting sponsors to help pay for the cost of screening the movie “Almost Ablaze,” by Teton Gravity Research. After meeting with many theatres around town, Annie finally locked in the Salt Lake Film Society’s Tower Theatre for December 3, again turning to sponsors, including her and Ryan’s business, The Wasatch Team-Windermere, to cover the costs. Once the date was set, Annie, with a small crew of dedicated parents, began a grass-roots marketing campaign, with PR blasts going out to publications from Whitney Cripe, mother of two MCS Elementary students, and the posting of professional-quality posters around the Valley and at ski resorts as well as on social media sites. Annie also began contacting potential donors for raffle items, eventually getting enough 2-for-1 ski passes from Powder Mountain to give every attendee one. Through individual, direct contacting she collected a total of 75 raffle items; among them, Skull Candy headphones, avalanche shovels, helmets, ski passes to local resorts, and a gear bag.
Annie’s drive and determination to make this event work was truly remarkable. She also met with us weekly to set up the ticket sales system, and to give us the latest updates. Her behind the scenes work became more and more apparent as the date approached and we received more and more raffle items and sponsors. We want to thank those parents who helped Annie with all of those efforts over the past several weeks: in addition to Whitney Cripe, Jennifer Dahl Lewis, who sent a KUTV news crew to do a followup story on MCS and the restoration efforts; Corey Lewis; Marie Bosteels; Becky Taylor; Tom Binegar; and Whitney Miller, who provided many unique raffle items on the night of the event.
The evening itself was a huge success. Through the sale of movie tickets, raffle tickets, and donations, Annie and this core group of parents raised almost $5000 for the school. More importantly, it was a memorable community event. Rob Cordova, parent of an Upper Elementary student, provided much entertainment as the Master of Ceremonies. He built up excitement surrounding the raffle and had all the winners dancing a crazy dance when they won. The students who helped deliver raffle items served as great examples of the kind of education that we provide. Five of the athletes featured in the extreme skiing movie attended the event to sign posters; that was more than the number that attended the first premiere of the movie! Again, that was due to Annie’s enthusiasm and effort; she contacted each athlete directly via Facebook.
We want to thank the athletes who came: Tim Durtschi, John Collinson, Todd Ligare, Dash Longe, and Dylan Hood. We want to thank the companies that donated raffle items: Skull Candy/Smith, Rossignol, anon. Helmets/Hitcase, Hot Chillys, Voile, Snowbasin, Brighton, Scott, Saga, The North Face, and AceCamp. And we want to especially thank the sponsors for their generosity: Teton Gravity Research, Powder Mountain, Vintage Road Real Estate Fund, The Wasatch Team-Windermere, Guaranteed Rate, Discrete, and the Tower Theatre, for providing the venue.
Above all, we want to thank Annie Guerrero for her vision and for her perseverance and commitment in taking each step to make that vision a reality. We are so grateful for her efforts and for the contributions of all of the MCS and Greater Salt Lake communities.
Written by Ramira Alamilla
Awarded “Film Of The Year” at the 2014 International Freeski Film Festival, TGR’s Almost Ablaze is a global odyssey combining state-of-the-art cinematography and the most progressive riding on The Planet. Experience a new level of sensory overload as each athlete is wired for sound, immersing the audience completely in the moment. Watch as athletes push the edge to realize a heightened state. Special screening at the Tower Theatre at 7:00pm on Wednesday – December 3, 2014. [ read more… ]
Every ticket holder will receive a Powder Mountain 2-for-1 Day Pass at the event.
Movie trailer here: www.tetongravity.com/films/almost-ablaze
On October 10th, just before 9 PM, a 48″ water main pipe broke on Foothill Blvd sending over 2.5 million gallons of water down 1700 South. The Montessori Community School was one of the unfortunate victims of the flood. The lower level classrooms, and the maintenance room were flooded and nearly 100 students have been displaced. It will take 6 to 8 weeks for all repairs to be completed. Please join us for our fundraising event featuring the Teton Gravity Research Movie: Almost Ablaze. All ticket proceeds will go to the MCS Flood Relief Fund.
Almost Ablaze – December 3, 2014Doors Open at 6:45pm for Raffle
Tower Theatre
876 E 900 S
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
The MCS Middle School’s second cycle (6-week period) of the year focused on “Changes,” in literature, in the natural and physical world around us (fungi, protists, and matter), and how we can be catalysts for positive change in society. The immersion week offers students an opportunity to apply and integrate what they have learned throughout the previous five weeks. For Cycle 2 the immersion was a Career Investigations week. Leading up to the immersion, students utilized expository writing methods to research possible careers. During the immersion week, they investigated different professions through interviews, field trips and job shadowing.
The first professional to visit was a local paramedic and firefighter. He brought his fire gear along, which weighed about 30 pounds, not including an oxygen tank. Nearly everyone in the class took the opportunity to try it on. He also brought his medical supplies and allowed the students to experience the powerful smell of ammonia tablets that paramedics use to rouse unconscious people. He told the class the process for becoming a firefighter, which involves a written test and then a physical one. The physical test includes being able to hold 100 pounds and run a large number of stairs. Firefighters typically work 48-hour shifts (they’re able to sleep if there isn’t an emergency) and then they have four days off. Robert explained that the pay for a firefighter is about $42,000, and a fire captain makes about $82,000. A paramedic can make about $60,000. The pay goes up for all of these jobs the more relevant degrees one has.
A local documentary filmmaker showed the students trailers for four of her films. She was a social worker for about twenty years and then went to film school at the University of Utah because she felt that filmmaking would allow her to have a greater impact on society. She finds documentaries to be fascinating and a good way to learn. She explained that being an independent filmmaker allowed her to have a flexible (though busy) schedule. She has to do fundraising for her films on her own, which is typically very time-consuming. She said that her salary varies over time since she has her own business.
The students also heard from a Basic Life Skills (BLS) instructor and midwife’s assistant (she’s training to become a midwife). She teaches birth classes, and she assists with births at The Birth Center in Salt Lake City. She explained that midwives are trained to be able to do numerous medical procedures as needed, including monitoring a mother’s and baby’s vital signs, giving Pitocin if a mother is losing too much blood after a delivery, and giving stitches as needed. She showed the class a movie about unmedicated births and explained the differences between a doula and a midwife (a doula provides emotional support during labor but does not do medical procedures). Adrianna has assisted with more than 200 births.
On Thursday, November 13th, the class visited the music studio of John Hancock, MCS parent and a local songwriter. He showed the students his equipment and explained that he is hired by companies to create songs for commercials as well as to remix existing music. Companies usually pay songwriters between $300 and $1,000 in advance to create a demo song and then between $3,000 and $5,000 if they use the song. John explained that songwriters also receive royalties on songs they write that are subsequently used.
The next day, Dr. Mary Dickerson, MCS parent and a veterinarian, visited the students along with two of her coworkers. She works in Laboratory Animal Science in the Office of Comparative Medicine at the University of Utah. She takes care of the animals in the lab where she works. She explained that a veterinarian can make between $50,000 and $175,000. She brought scrubs for the students to keep and had them do a relay race to see how quickly they could put the scrubs on.
An anesthesiologist visited the same day. He explained that his job is basically to keep people from dying and to keep them comfortable. He uses morphine, local anesthetic, and sometimes laughing gas in his work. He gives epidurals as needed to mothers in labor. He typically works 65 hours a week but sets his own schedule, and he said that anesthesiologists makes between $250,000 and $700,000 depending on the year. He explained that he went to school in the United Kingdom and that the structure there involves going straight to medical school immediately after completion of high school.
The final professional to visit was MCS parent Chris Fischer, who has been a helicopter pilot since 2008. He said that helicopter pilots make an average of $40,000 per year. His most common assignment is giving tours of the Grand Canyon, and he works either seven days on then seven days off, or else 14 days on and 14 days off.
The Middle School class was excited to learn about so many different professions and was grateful to all of the professionals who shared their time and knowledge with the class.
By Carla Moquin, Middle School and Lower Elementary parent
Thank you to all who have purchased tickets for our upcoming Flood Relief Fundraiser event, screening of the movie “ALMOST ABLAZE.” We have some exciting updates to announce about the event!
Todd Ligare & Johnny Collinson, athletes from the TGR film, will attend the show!
Welcome to our latest local sponsor, Discrete!
RAFFLE: Purchase your $5 raffle tickets in the office. Tickets can also be purchased the night of the show or online. These prizes will BLOW YOUR MIND! Raffle will start at 7pm. Must be present to win! (We recommend you bring cash for the raffle tix if you plan to purchase them at the show.) View some of the prizes below:
SKI PASSES: Receive a Powder Mountain 2-for-1 day pass for EVERY MOVIE TICKET PURCHASED Passes will be handed out at the show. Don’t worry, if you have already bought your tickets you will still receive this awesome prize upon arrival at the show!
Doors open 6:45pm!
Raffle starts at 7:00pm!
We recommend pre-purchasing your raffle tickets.
Movie tickets and raffle tickets can be purchased in the MCS office at any time!
Intermountain LiVe Well Assembly
The 8 Health Habits—The Musical!
MCS Kindergarteners, Elementary, and Middle School students attended Intermountain’s LiVe Well assembly.
The assembly was a fun-filled 45-minute health education show called LiVe—The 8 Healthy Habits Musical!
The Grand Theatre and Corporate Staging Resources brought the excitement of live theater to MCS in hopes
to encourage students to adopt healthy eating and exercise habits. In a mix of drama and humor, performers
spoke to our students hoping to empower them with the skills they need to critically evaluate media messages
and peer group pressures in order to make healthy choices from eating more vegetables and obtaining at least
10 hours of sleep at night.
The first 3 healthy habits revolve around the food and drinks that are put into our bodies:
1. Always east breakfast and make it a healthy one.
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
3. Limit –or eliminate sweetened beverages.
Followed by the next two healthy habits revolving around activity:
4. Sit less and limit screen time.
5. Move more.
The final 3 involve sleep and support.
6. Get enough sleep.
7. Eat meals together as a family.
8. Be positive about food and body image.
Wholesome varieties of activity, food, sleep, and support are proven to be crucial to a balanced and healthy
lifestyle. The LiVe Well program is geared toward educating and motivating the younger generations to practice
and incorporate the 8 health habits into their lives.
Our MCS students were, of course, the perfect audience. Our students demonstrated the utmost level of respect
with beautiful live interaction and well thought out responses.
MCS encourages our parents to review with their students the 8 healthy habits and find ways to better
incorporate these practices into their daily routine. Parents may have one of the most powerful roles in helping
to shape a child’s life. Support from parents and/ or guardians is essential to forming habits. Let us try to make
healthier choices for our future generations and ourselves.
