Sorry we’re so late with this, but we had a wonderful Fall Festival at The Montessori House on October 15!.  Thanks to the entire Special Events Committee and Committee Chair Celia P.

And thanks to all the Montessori House families who brought wonderful things to eat and drink, who helped set up the festival, supervise the kids’ activities, and helped clean-up at the end.

The Farmer’s Market raised enough money to donate through Heifer International the following animals: 

chickens, ducks and honeybees!

Thanks!

Just wanted to let our families know that The Montessori House is fine in the wake of Irene.   The playground’s a bit messy, but no worse than most people’s yards.  It should all be ship shape by the time teachers come on Sept. 6 and students on Sept. 12.  In fact, you’ll see that the parking lot has been patched, sealed, and re-striped!
We’ll see you in September!

Welcome to the over 80 families enrolled at The Montessori House for 2011-12.  Most of our sessions are full and have a wait list.  We still have a handful of openings in our Stepping stones program for children born after July 1, 2008.  If you’re interested please call or e-mail.

If your child is older, call us joining the wait list (your application will carry over for 2012-13. 

We continue to offer school tours until students arrive in September.  If you’d like to see the school “in action” (with students and teachers in the classroom), tours of the school will start again in October.  You may call for an appointment and also to join our mailing list so that we can keep you informed about our enrollment calendar for 2012-13.

Many of you attended our 2011 Summer Camp and enjoyed 5 weeks of fun and excitement.  Our themes this year included: The Silk Road, Tomie diPaola, The Nile, The Amazon Rain Forest, and US Westward Expansion! 

Some of the activities included:

• Chase by a grizzly bear.
• Painting a house.
• Trading on the Silk Road.
• Riding a Nile crocodile.
• Collecting nuts in the rain forest.

Luckily we had beautiful weather, so we could enjoy The Beach every day!

 Thanks to Ms. Hillarie, Ms. Deepthi, Ms. Christine and Ms. Maria, as well as to all our volunteers — Sydney, Morgan, Elle, Maxine, Maxie, Liel, Hailey, Isabelle, Madeline, Anne Maire, Olivia, and Isabella.

Last night’s Parent Night presentation (sponsored by Friends of Montessori Foundation) on Sexual Health was just fascinating.  Miriam Baker, parent of two Montessori house alumni and a noted expert on sexual health, led the discussion and addressed issues of great interest to anyone who is a parent or a spouse.  THANKS Miriam!

For more information about Miriam Baker and her practice in NYC and Englewood, NJ, or to contact her, you may visit the website of her professional practice: http://mbaker-ngrigorian.com/about/about.htm.

Classes at The Montessori House school are canceled for Wednesday, February 2, 2011. 

The office will be closed, all classes and tours are canceled.  We expect to return to our normal schedule and hours tomorrow.

Wow!  That ice is really something!

Classes at The Montessori House school are canceled for Thursday, January 27, 2011. 

The office will be closed, all classes and tours are canceled.  We expect to return to our normal schedule and hours on Friday, January 28.

Enjoy the winter weather!

The Montessori House will be closed Monday January 17, a national holiday to commemorate the birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.  Please remember to make other care arrangements for your children, and enjoy the 3-day weekend! Classes resume on our normal schedule Tuesday January 18.

For those not familiar with the Dr. King, he was an was an important civil rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s.  A leader in the movement to end racial segregation and discrimination in the United States, his most famous address was the “I Have A Dream” speech (” …I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character…”).  An African-American, and a Baptist minister, he was an advocate of non-violent protest, civil rights, peace and social justice.  He became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39.

The Tenafly weather forecast for the rest of the week is excellent — we expect a dry, crisp day for our Fall Festival this Saturday.

During the two hours of the Festival  you and your children will find plenty to do.   We have a range of activities for parents and children to to together, including: Obstacle Course, Pumpkin Bowling, Hay Ride, Name the Ant, Adventure Tunnel, Leaf Pile , Farmers’ Market, and much more.

Finally, you won’t want to miss the unveiling of a new piece of playground equipment.  It looks like  a lot of fun for the children!

Today, October 7, children across the globe are reading Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day to break a world record for the largest shared reading experience.  Our Montessori House children participate in this event , called Read for the Record, and add over 70 to the worldwide count!

After hearing the story in class today, every child at school received his or her very own copy of The Snowy Day.  This lovely gift was arranged by Tracy — mother of Montessori House pupil Gabriela (and 2009 alumnae Liliana) — who works with Pearson, one of the supporters of Read for the Record through the Pearson Foundation.  So, send your thanks to Tracy, Pearson, and the Pearson Foundation.

We won’t know until the end of the day if we broke the world record.  If you’d like to participate by reading The Snowy Day to your child tonight, you may be counted at the Read for the Record website: http://www.readfortherecord.org