March into Montessori – So Much to Celebrate
You can always be sure of a celebration at Westmont. There is nothing we like better than celebrating our community. March brings the promise of spring and other great things to come for our students, our parents, and our teaching staff. As you can already see from your recent invitation, we are actively preparing for our wonderful Celebration of Children (otherwise known as the CoC) event.
In the Montessori world, March is traditionally known as Montessori Education month. This is a time for Montessori schools across the nation to take some time to reflect on their practices and celebrate all that is unique about the Montessori philosophy. Westmont has been a participating school in this endeavor since its inception. We live and breathe our philosophy every day, and it is always a pleasure to take a little more time to celebrate Dr. Montessori and what makes our school unique. We give our students the opportunity to discuss their favorite materials, and collaborate on a project that utilizes specific concepts that reflect our curriculum. Please look for these special classroom projects created by our Toddler, Early Childhood, and Kindergarten students, which will be on display in our foyer.
In the coming weeks, we will invite parents into our Early Childhood and Kindergarten classes to visit with their children and observe Montessori in action. At this time, the children can show their work; what an opportunity for parents to observe independent, self-directed, and motivated learners. On March 4, we are also hosting a Family Open House Social for our current and perspective families and we invite you to come to school with your families and enjoy entertainment, crafts, and refreshments. This is also a great time to catch up with your children’s teachers, classmates, and parents and meet some new community members.
For our teaching staff, March brings exciting opportunities for professional development. There are two great conferences offering speakers and workshops for Montessori educators. On March 3, Westmont will be closed for the regional Montessori Conference facilitated by the New Jersey Montessori Administrators Corporation of which we are a long time member. On March 10-12, The American Montessori Society, one of our accrediting organizations, will host its national conference and a team from Westmont will be in attendance. Joining hundreds of New Jersey Montessori colleagues, and thousands more from around the nation, for these respective days, provides inspiration, growth, and renewal. Our staff is afforded these wonderful opportunities due to the generosity of our community to our Ray of Light Annual Fund. Thank you all for your support.
Happy March!
Colette
