This Week at Breakthrough
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This Week's Visitors
On Thursday, October 19 we welcome a delegation of educators from Jinshan, a district in Shanghai, China. This will be their second visit to Breakthrough.
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This Month
Family Education: Practical Life
Tuesday, October 24
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Halloween
On October 31st, we invite students to come to school in costumes if they wish. Please keep in mind that we ask students not to wear masks or face paint, and to wear costumes that are not scary, so that everyone can enjoy the day. Please also make sure your child wears his/her costume over his regular clothes, so that (s)he can easily remove it if that is more comfortable. Parents can coordinate with guides about bringing a special snack to share with classmates, but please do not bring any candy to school. If you have any questions about Halloween, please don't hesitate to contact your child's teacher.
Also, a quick reminder: Halloween will be a half day, with dismissal for all students at 11:45.
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Coffee with the Leadership Team
Our next gathering will take place Tuesday, November 7 immediately after drop—off in the Conference Room. This monthly drop-in gathering is an opportunity for information, conversation, questions and answers, and maybe even some work for the classrooms. We’ll provide coffee and tea; feel free to bring a tasty or just yourself. So that we can plan, please drop us a line here to let us know if you plan to attend.
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What’s Going on in This Classroom?
So far we've held two seminars seminars designed to support your own observations of your child’s classroom. On Thursday, October 12 and Monday, October 16 we welcomed a total of eight families -- four returning and four new. In addition to observing in classrooms, we discussed topics such as the Montessori Scope & Sequence, the work of separation experienced by our youngest children (and their parents), and the Montessori goal of independence. See below "Ask a Montessori Guide" for more on how teachers manage independent work in the classroom. Our next session will take place on Wednesday, November 8. Please click here to let us know you plan to attend.
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Lunch Order Reminders
Please remember to order lunch for your child before the 15th of each month. In order to control food waste, we try very hard to order the correct number of lunches, so prompt orders are key. If your child is eating lunch at school and we have not received an order, we will send home an invoice. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch with Kamaria.
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Welcoming Breakthrough's Newest Family Members
We are thrilled to share news of the arrivals of new Breakthrough siblings. If you would like to announce a new arrival, please let us know by clicking here.
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The Nader Family welcomed Bianca’s little sister, Lina (left), on July 24th.
The Nunez/Acevedo Family welcomed Kihana Aleany Nunez on September 9.
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Have you ever wondered why there is so much emphasis on pouring, washing, and scrubbing in the Primary Montessori program? Or how the Montessori language curriculum works? Or the origin of terms like “grace & courtesy,” “sensitive period,” or “cosmic education”? Starting today we will be fielding such questions and sharing our response with the entire Breakthrough Community. Send Us a Question
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I am both impressed by and curious about the all the independence I’ve seen in Breakthrough’s classrooms. With three different age groups, and more than 25 children, how do the adults keep track of all that’s going on?
There are more than 300 discrete activities a child can do inside a Montessori Primary (ages 3-6) classroom. While it can sometimes look like organized chaos, every single item in the classroom has a purpose – in most cases, more than one purpose – and children move through these materials in a sequence that is partially determined by the logic of the program and partially determined the readiness of each individual child.
Guides keep track of what each child is doing through a meticulous process of planning and record keeping. Unlike conventional classrooms, in which planning consists primarily of the lessons the teacher will give to the whole class, in Montessori environments, each child has his or her own individualized plan. At Breakthrough, we combine digital record keeping through Transparent Classroom with old fashioned observation and note-taking. Each week, guides create a plan for each child using tools like the grid below. The grid includes lessons each child will receive and well as what work they will be practicing throughout the week.
Every day, guides sit in the Observation Chair to check their plans against what children are actually choosing. They make notes directly into the grid, noting how long an individual child stayed engaged with a given material, what new work he or she showed interest in (often by watching other children), and what existing work he or she has mastered.
Inside the classroom, the guide and assistant work as a team to ensure that, at all times, all the children’s activity is under the watchful eye of an adult. Because guides are giving lessons throughout the morning – most often to a single child or a small group of children – the assistant’s role of scanning and responding to needs is crucial. The process of “guiding” children involves a delicate balance of friendliness with error and providing assistance when necessary. That means we are working, always, to create an environment in which children are free to make mistakes and to learn from those mistakes. At the same time, we aim, always, to be vigilant to individual children’s needs.
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