Mary Dickerson
The sense of community is very strong. The school nurtures opportunities for families to be engaged during the school day, as well as outside of it. We are grateful to have long-lasting family friends that we met through the school.
Author: Alejandro Malespin
Dan & Kelsey Barrell
When we were looking for a school to send our child to close friends of ours recommended Foothill Montessori of Salt Lake. They described the positive experiences they had as a family and it planted the seed. We then looked into the Montessori method, and what appealed to us was not the content being taught but how it was being taught. We felt that the teachers would meet the needs of our child and allow them to be self-driven and inspired. The idea of smaller classrooms, and supporting our child in building functional life skills, not just academics. We feel like the place we were at before simply “watched” our child; FMSL fostered his intellectual curiosity. Very interested in the Dual Language program as well.
Rob Cordova
The teachers have loved my children and have shown constant caring about their education, well being, and overall environment. I had no idea how much I would value this type of education, but I can tell you now that having all four of my kids at FMSL was one of my greatest decisions I’ve made as a father.
Mary Dickerson
Our daughters’ have made very close friends and have remained close over the years. From the perspective of a parent, the teacher community is very tight knit, and there has not been much turnover in the past.
Rob Cordova
FMSL has been a central part of our family for over 13 years. What started out as a solution for daycare has turned into a beautiful community that has helped me raise four children with the assistance of Montessori methodology. The school has been a rock for us through difficult family times and throughout turns in the economy and the pandemic. They have made an effort to know my family and our specific needs and truly be a partner in providing whatever they can for our situation.
Elise Winther
Elise was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she found her passion for dance music and self-expression from a young age naturally and continued in two decades of professional dance training into her adulthood.
Elise explored many different career opportunities, from motherhood to business management to human resources, and serendipitously she found her way into teaching a few years ago.
Elise is now in her third year at Foothill Montessori of Salt Lake and has enjoyed so much of guiding young curious minds.
In her free time, Elise enjoys collecting new hobbies. She loves finding new activities that inspire movement, music, creativity, and nature. Elise enjoys roller skating, rock climbing, dancing, life music, hiking, kayaking, and just enjoying life. She is an avid reader and writer who has been working on her first young adult novel this year.
Elise is excited to continue to play, learn, and grow with the students of FMSL.
Karey Smith
Karey Smith was born in Lehi and is the oldest of five girls. She was an “Army Brat” and traveled all over until her family settled in New Jersey. She lived in England for a while and then returned to the U.S. to complete her Montessori Infant and Toddler training in Princeton, New Jersey. She then moved to Utah for her Early Childhood Education Montessori training. She has been working in Montessori since the age of 16! She loves to read, listen to music, watch movies, cross-stitch, and spend time with her family. Little known fact about Karey: her sisters are all named with K’s: Krissy, Krisha, Kendra, and Kimberly. Her mom’s name is Karen. Her dad’s name: Bob!! She has been a certified Montessori Guide in Early Childhood for over 27 years and has been at Foothill Montessori since 1997.
Valor in Vernal
Administrators from Utah Montessori Council member schools around our state gather each Fall for a weekend of activities and conversations that strengthen our connections, our craft and our souls.
Vernal
This year we traveled to Brandi’s hometown for Valor in Vernal! Brandi facilitated the opening ceremony at her family’s yurt. She held space for us to begin our work for the weekend- a deep dive into the concept of valor. The Mirriam-Webster dictionary defines valor as, “strength of mind or spirit to encounter danger with firmness.”
Brandi’s yurt
Amiee Di Brienza presented our keynote where we explored valor in our schools and our careers.
Petroglyphs
We hiked and explored Dinosaur National Monument. A highlight of our time was the opportunity to meet with and learn from a National Park ranger. Ranger Mason Runs-Through patiently answered our endless questions about paleontology and archeology in this special place.
Ranger Mason Runs Through @Dinosaur National Monument
At the closing ceremony, Emily Squadroni deftly closed the circle on our conversation while providing us with work for our hands as we processed all that we had explored.
Hey fourth graders you can get a FREE pass valid for the duration of your 4th grade school year (September-August). Visit https://www.everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm to learn more.
We all left the retreat with renewed trust in our network of colleagues and empowered to lead with valor.
Introducing our Assistant Teachers
Classroom assistants provide integral support to ensure that children have a high quality Montessori experience.
An Effective Assistant:
- Supports the teacher
- Prepares and maintains the environment
- Observes behaviors
- Models grace and courtesy
- Preserves and protects lessons
- Assists in the development of independence
We are delighted to have warm, kind and creative assistant teachers working at FMSL.
Infant & Toddler Assistants
Daniela Ramirez
Brooklyn Roush
Madison Christensen
Early Childhood Assistants
Elise Pace
Tory Calamity
Tory Snarr
Kendalyn Mathews
Classroom assistants work with the lead teacher to prepare and maintain an orderly, attractive, and joyful environment. They provide another pair of observant, attentive eyes and ears. Classroom assistants are also crucial in modeling courteous and respectful behavior. They contribute to maintenance of the supportive, creative, busy and purposeful atmosphere that is indicative of a traditional Montessori classroom.
Adapted from AMI USA Montessori Assistant Resources
https://amiusa.org/schools/ami-classroom-assistants-resources/
Robyn’s Message to the Community
Mt. Taranaki
I arrived home in New Zealand, after a 28 hour journey, with connections in LA, Nadi – Fiji and Auckland, feeling a little exhausted but after a quiet day there have been a whirlwind of events.
Over New Zealand’s Labour Weekend we had our Waitara High School 75th Jubilee. In New Zealand we do not celebrate with individual class reunions but with the whole school invited to however many years that school has been operating. This was a very special event.
The weekend was filled with activities, but the most important being the opportunity to catch up with my classmates – many of whom I had not seen for years. Our town had a population of 4,000 when I was growing up so we basically knew everyone and had grown to 7,000. We had amazing teachers and there are many members of our community who have made major contributions in many areas -Sir Richard Faull who is on the cutting edge of brain research in such areas as Huntington’s Disease, Dr. Michelle Bannister who is a planetary astronomer and at the age of 36 has a star named after her, and Darcy Nicolas who is a well known painter whose work is exhibited and sold around the world. I am friends with Richard and Darcy but it was fascinating listening to their stories. And then there was the food and the dancing, a really wonderful time all around.
That same weekend, whenever there were no events at the Jubilee, our Bailey Whanau (family) had a reunion at our Otaraua meeting house. I had not spent time with some of my cousins, who live far from here, for several years so it was wonderful being able to catch up on their lives.
Our Bailey Whanau
During any spare moments, during the rest of my time at home, my sister Pamela and I have been catching up with close friends and particularly spending time with two who are not doing well. Pam and I feel fortunate to be here again to do what we can to help and she will be staying on for maybe two months to support them and other friends in another city. It is a real gift for us.
Today we are leaving our home in Onaero and driving south to Whanganui, where we will stay with a special friend tonight, before catching a train in Palmerston North ( a town about one hour from Whanganui and the city where we went to Teachers College – a considerable number of years ago) that will take us to Wellington, our capital city, where my daughter, KereAna, lives.
As you can imagine I am really looking forward to having a few days with KereAna. She is in the midst of planning for a fairly major renovation project and Pam and I will be helping her make some last decisions.
So for now Haere Ra and I do hope that all is well with each of you.
And once again I would like to thank you for your ongoing support.
Aroha,
Robyn