We are very excited about a innovative new high school that is scheduled to open in Greenville for the 2014-2015 academic year. FOA’s Executive Director, Kathleen Trewhella-Grant and Executive Coordinator, Jessica Greer, attended the Next High School Education Summit where the plan was unveiled to create the Next High School. The Next High School, modeled after Cart High School in Fresno C.A., will be a public charter school. The pioneer of this school is the Next Group, a group of entrepreneurial businesses dedicated to bringing commerce to Greenville. Their mission is to bring community leaders and businesses together to create a school that will have project-based learning with an emphasis on creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. The school will have flexible work spaces and work schedules with a focus on creating real life connections to help prepare students for “life after school”.  The Next High School’s philosophies fit very well with what Montessori has been doing for 100 years. To get more information please go to www.nexthighschool.org. They would like feedback on your level of interest in enrolling your child at enroll@nexthighschool.com.We feel our students would be great candidates for the Next High School.

On Friday, May 3, FOA held our annual community wide International  Festival to celebrate our wonderful cultural differences. We are very proud that FOA’s student body is composed of students from over 16 countries. We seek to expose our students to a global vision of our world.  This festival is a favorite of many of our students  because everyone dresses in the traditional garb from a variety of cultures and each family prepares an international dish for all to enjoy. The classrooms prepare special songs for the students to perform along with our Spanish, World Music and Classical Music departments.  A special presentation of dancing and cultural sharing was giving by Cordao de Ouro,a Brazilian dance group.  This festival is a day our students look forward to each year and many of them were planning their outfit for next year’s festival at the end of the day.

Our culture curriculum is geared towards giving our students authentic cultural experiences they can identify with all year long. It is only fitting that we top it off with a very special festival at the end of the school year.

Grandparents Day was held on Thursday, May 9 from 1-3pm. FOA students were very excited to have their grandparents come on campus and proud to show them what they have been working on in their classrooms. A lemonade and cookie reception, with many of our talented students providing the musical entertainment, set a perfect backdrop for this community event.  The Middle School students organized and ran a book fair through Barnes & Noble as a fund raiser for their bi-annual class trip. This event is an excellent way for grandparents and other extended family members to have the opportunity to visit the campus and see some of the wonderful things happening here at Five Oaks.

On April 25 at 9am, FOA will have a special performance given by  The Dancing Gauchos, a world renowned Argentinean Duo. This performance is part of FOA’s cultural program that helps provides our students with a global vision of the world. The duo will entertain our students with a high action performance of breathtaking routines while educating them about the uniqueness of Argentina,  its’ Gauchos and Spanish culture. Beautiful music and costumes, flamenco dancing, fast action boleadora routines, and rhythmic percussion are combined to make this an incredible act.

On Friday,  April 19 at 11:00 am, FOA will hold a celebration for the life of Sophia Hammer. Two years ago, Sophia was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called a Coarctation of the Aorta and her parents were told she would need surgery just two days before she turned 7 Months.  You can read Sophia’s story at http://sophiahammer.wordpress.com. Sophia is now two and a half years old and is doing wonderfully thanks to the help of many amazing healthcare professionals in Greenville and Charleston.

The family received assistance from a non-profit organization  called Palmetto Hearts. They assisted them both emotionally and financially.  The Hammer Family would like to give back to this organization that has given so much to them. Please consider joining Team Sophia at the 2nd annual Palmetto Hearts 5K Run/Walk on June 1, 2013 at Duncan Park in Spartanburg. Please go to www.palmettohearts5k.org for more information or contact our toddler teacher Genie Matt who is sponsoring Sophia for this event. Happy Heart Day Sophia!

What is your definition of “well-grounded”?  We might say that an individual who is well-grounded has a firm foundation: one who is solid, positive and steady. As parents and educators, indeed, our hope for our children is that they are well-grounded. And Dr. Maria Montessori envisioned that trait for children as well but her definition of “well-grounded” goes perhaps a step further.

Dr. Montessori was an early proponent of the value of outdoor learning. “Well-grounded” children, she thought, are those who are connected with nature…to the ground, we might say. The land is where our roots are. She saw an outdoor environment as an extension of the indoor prepared environment. The connection to the natural world gives children the opportunity to understand and appreciate life in all its forms. The connectedness of the child with the earth cultivates curiosity, enhances awareness of the world and offers the child real, hands-on experiences.

The Primary learning environments do not stop at our doors: instead, we utilize the best classroom in the world….the world itself. We offer our children the chance to take a step beyond, to breathe the fresh air, to experiment with land, air and water. Outside is where we can dig in the dirt, cultivate and grow plants, to see seasonal changes. Walking the nature trail, listening to the sound of birds, caring for tiny seedlings and waiting with anticipation for their growth and development and learning about the needs of all living things mirrors the development of the child. A respect for life, said Dr. Montessori, develops and enhances a child’s understanding of the earth and everything that lives upon it. Offer the world to the child and he or she will be an eager participant in the needs of all life – by showing a desire to make a difference. Now that’s well-grounded.

We are fortunate to have Mrs. Molly Wimmer as the well-grounded parent volunteer and coordinator of the outdoor classroom. The arrival of Spring gives us the chance to enjoy , to experiment and learn outside once again. Tuesdays and Thursdays find both Primary classrooms eager to do just that. But Ms. Molly can’t do it alone! Please consider volunteering to help. Let your child’s contact teacher know if you can help.

Ms.  Beth

Help Children be Helpful

In a Montessori classroom, children are taught to love and care for the environment around them. They have important jobs such as loading and emptying the dishwasher, dusting, sweeping, planning snack for a week, cleaning up their desk and area around them and taking care of classroom pets. These activities help the children to feel that they are valuable members of the classroom and raise their self esteem. It is important for children to complete these types of activities at home as well. Through giving children opportunities at home, they will feel like they are a vital and important member of the household.

To help children be helpful, you must first take the time to teach. Children absorb a great deal through observation, but many tasks will require you to show your child step by step what to do. You should teach each skill separately and with a lot of patience, confidence and love. We all have very busy schedules and may rush through the teaching of a task to a child. However, keep in mind, that if you don’t take the time to teach your child how to complete the task appropriately the first time, you will spend more time later on feeling frustrated with the quality of the work and correcting your child. Taking the time to teach your child a step by step task will not only help your child to feel like a valued member of the household , but will give you quality one on one time with your child.

There are all sorts of ways for your child to help out around the house at the Lower Elementary age. They can make their own lunches, set and clear the dinner table, fold and put away their laundry, feed and walk family pets, sweep, pull weeds in the flowerbeds/garden, clean mirrors and windows, load and unload the dishwasher, bringing in the mail/newspaper, make their own bed and vacuuming. These tasks are not just chores or housework. They are opportunities for your child to learn valuable, practical life skills that they will use for the rest of their life! As the parent, you can teach them to enjoy the process of the tasks and admiring the finished product. This time you spend with your child is quality time where you can bond, enjoy each others company and learn more about each other.

Establish Order

When you first walk into a Lower Elementary classroom, it may look quite chaotic. You will observe some children working in groups, some alone, others may be in lessons and there is overall quite a bit of movement happening. If you look through the surface there is a substantial amount of order in a Montessori classroom. Every single thing in the classroom has a purpose and a location. Each child has a job to do and an assignment to work on. Establishing order in the classroom or the home helps the child to develop independence. Having an orderly environment will support your child in focus and concentration. Contrary to the current state of your child’s bedroom or playroom, children have a natural affinity for order. Just like you have to take the time to teach your child to be helpful, you have to take the time to teach your child to be orderly.

Below are some tips and suggestions for your quest to establish order in your home:

• Keep Clutter to a Minimum: Set up a schedule to rotate toys and clothing in and out of storage. Set up specific times to go through these items with your child and make a donation and throw away piles.

• Have Designated Areas for All Things: Have a specific location for your child’s coat, boots, dirty clothes, toys, etc. Walk your child through the steps of putting things in these locations. In the classroom, your child is responsible for putting classroom materials and their personal items in specific locations. They can also be taught and expected to do this at home.

• Take the Time to Set up Each Room in the House: This is an imperative step. Your child should also be involved in this. You can start in your child’s bedroom by using different types of shelving, hooks, organizational supplies, storage containers. Have your child help make decisions on where things should go and how to organize their personal belongings.

• Lower or install a towel hanger in the bathroom so your child can hang up their own towel after a shower/bath.

• Hang a color chart in your child’s bedroom so that your child can see for themselves what colors go together when picking out their own clothing.

• Dresser drawers can be labeled with fun pictures of shirts, socks, underwear, pajamas and dividers so your child’ drawers can be better organized. You can also print labels of the names and place them next to the pictures (print them out in Spanish too!).

• Lower shelves in your child’s bedroom/playroom so that they can easily store their toys. However, avoid big toy boxes as they will quickly become disorganized! Have a small bin/box for specific toys and label them on the front.

Over 100 years ago, Dr. Maria Montessori began a revolution in education. In analyzing the needs of children, she discovered that students respond well to respect, a stimulating curriculum and environment, and the ability to have choices. As we celebrate Montessori Week across the state and across the world, we are thankful for the opportunities this educational method offers our students. Our Governor, Nikki Haley, has continued the tradition of recognizing “Montessori Week” by signing the State of South Carolina Governor’s Proclamation. Five Oaks Academy will celebrate by hosting a community gathering where Middle School student’s video of why Montessori is important to them. We will join international Montessori ans in a moment of silence to allow our students to reflect on their own education and the influence of Montessori on their lives. Lastly, we will host student performances at our in-house Strengths Show.

“Montessori education has basically opened a new window for me. I feel so included and I feel safe to be myself. All the teachers are always willing to help, but at the same time they teach you to be independent. I appreciate all Maria Montessori’s work. I wouldn’t have made it here without her.”

-Grace Ireland

Five Oaks academy will be hosting an Open House on Tuesday, March 12 from 9am- 11am. If you are interested in touring our campus, please call to schedule a tour. Refreshments will be served and parents of current students will be here to share their FOA experiences with prospective parents. We are currently enrolling students for the 2013-2014 school year.

There are many familiar names on the long list of Montessori elite jokingly named “The Montessori Mafia”. Jeff Bezos, Dakota Fanning, Anne Frank, Helen Hunt, Helen Keller, Beyonce Knoles, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Taylor Swift, Julia Child, George Clooney, Sergey Brin and Larry Page are just a few famous Montessori alumni, many of whom credit their Montessori education for their success. The Wall Street Journal published an article in 2011 titled “The Montessori Mafia” that discussed the possible correlation between the Montessori method of learning, a student centered learning method where creativity, critical thinking skills and exploration are valued, and many of the very successful innovative entrepreneurs and creative elite. “…the Montessori educational approach might be the surest route to joining the creative elite, which are so overrepresented by the school’s alumni that one might suspect a Montessori Mafia…,” wrote Peter Sims with The Wall Street Journal.

To read this article and see more of the names that appear on the list of Montessori alumni, click on http://www.postoakschool.org/postoak/Montessori_Students_List.asp.

“Montessori taught me the joy of discovery…It showed you can become interested in pretty complex theories, like Pythagorean theory, say, by playing with blocks. It’s all about learning on your terms, rather than a teacher explaining stuff to you. SimCity comes right out of Montessori—if you give people this model for building cities, they will abstract from it principles of urban design.”  ~Will Wright, Computer Game Designer and Original Designer of The Sims