NEW! In this weeks newsletter, we are adding quotes that were shared during morning meeting.
Introducing Countryside Montessori’s homemade honey! Well actually, our bees’ homemade honey. At the middle school in spring time, we receive bees that make honey for us. In this case, we will be selling honey from our spring harvest. If you would like to purchase, email Guy Calise at guy@countrysidemontessori.org. The honey is first come first serve, so get it while you can!
“Experience is merely the name we give our mistakes.”
~ Oscar Wilde, Dramatist
Last week in art, we used class a little bit differently than normal. We watched a video by the artist Bob Ross. Instead of copying a picture Bob Ross creates an image in his mind and paints it without sketching. On Thursday, we began our own images using the same techniques. The first thing we did was paint the canvas white to create an even surface then we painted the background such as the sky.
This week in Science we have started a brand new unit. After being educated about the fascinating world of cells, we are now learning about plant reproduction. The Middle Schoolers are very eager to dig their hands into this next unit.
“A fool thinks himself a wise man, but a wise man knows himself a fool.”
~ William Shakespeare
Last Friday, the Middle School was delighted to have a guest, Jane Jun, for our community lunch. She, a friend of Sydney Hartman, is 13 years old and goes to Maple Middle School. We all wish to tell everyone that we are more than happy to have guests at our lunches, and we hope someone else will come visit soon.
Over the course of the week, we started something new in Math class, graphing. In our newly formed groups, we would have to solve the graph-related problems given to us. The main activity we did together was motion graphs. For example, we could graph somebody's speed walking down the street. They gave us a measuring tape and a stopwatch for us to use to make real life scenarios. After we were all done making our graphs, we grouped backed together and shared them with one another.
“Power is like being a lady - if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”
~Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of England
On Friday, January 13th Dr. Garrop, Mr. Francavilla’s wife, came to talk to the Middle Schoolers about what it’s like to be a composer. She talked about the first thing she had ever composed. She said her music teacher told her to write a song for the trumpet, and so she did. She said, “If my teacher hadn’t told me to write that song I don’t think I would be doing this today.” Dr. Garrop has gone on to write many different pieces. She has also written music about many different things like Medusa, the Sirens, and so much more. She has been very successful and she owes it all to her teachers. I think it was an amazing experience to hear her talk. The way she talked was so inspiring. I hope to hear her talk again soon.
Upcoming Dates and Events
Jan 27th - End of the Second Quarter.
Jan 30th - Third Quarter Begins.
Feb 3rd - School Dismisses at Noon. (Teacher In-service)
Feb 14th - Valentine's Day.
Feb 20th - President’s Day.
Feb 24th - No School. (Teacher In-service)