Montessori Pre-K News

The children began the week exploring new materials and revisiting familiar favorites. We are seeing them take on work with more steps, deeper concentration, and a growing understanding towards their own learning. During this rainy week, we also introduced new group rhythm games, bringing joyful movement, laughter, and connection into our days.

Other highlights included a lower school assembly filled with enthusiastic participation, and a peek into the worm bin to fill it with some old greens for them to eat! We also had two trips to the Library - one for a special book reading in honor of Indigenous People's Month titled, "Loaf The Cat Goes to the Powwow" a children's picture book written by Anishinaabe author Nicholas DeShaw. Our second trip this week included parent Julie Harkins who came in to read a special book from her childhood.

Beautiful things are unfolding in our classroom: friendships are deepening, children are stepping up to help one another, and leadership is emerging through small acts of kindness or hospitality. Sometimes, when the classroom feels busy and loud, the best thing an adult can do is step back and observe. What may look chaotic to us includes a child cleaning up a friend's water spill, two children laughing together over a book, and an older student patiently helping a younger friend with the challenging coffee-grinding activity.

These little moments are the heart of our Children's House. They remind us that education is not only about academic growth but also about learning to care for one another and becoming thoughtful members of a community.

As St. Francis de Sales reminds us,

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength."

And that is the beauty of Montessori: growing capable minds and compassionate hearts, one little moment at a time.

With Gratitude,

The Montessori Team

Next week, 11/02:

Monday (SEL, Spanish), Tuesday (Salesian, French), Wednesday (Library, Chinese), Thursday (STEM, Spanish), and Friday (Salesian, French).

As the temperatures continue to drop, please make sure your child comes to school dressed in layers so they can stay comfortable throughout the day.

We go outside every day, weather permitting, unless it is too cold (below zero) too wet, or conditions are too dangerous for outdoor play. Fresh air and outdoor exploration are an important part of our daily routine, even during the winter months!

Please make sure your child has these cold weather and winter essentials in their cubby every day:

• Winter jacket

• Warm mittens or gloves

• Winter hat

• Snow pants

• Waterproof winter boots

Having all the necessary winter gear at school helps us ensure that children can safely enjoy walks, outdoor play, and explore the beauty of the winter season.

Thank you for your collaboration and for helping us keep our little ones warm, comfortable, and ready for outdoor adventures!

Fall conferences will be held in person on Monday, November 23, and Tuesday, November 24, with classroom teachers. As we transition to a semester schedule, we are intentionally strengthening communication and partnership with families throughout the school year.

During your conference, you will meet with your child's classroom teacher and receive a conference report and specialist updates. We look forward to sharing the wonderful things your children have been learning and celebrating the tremendous growth they have made!

Click here for conference sign-up links for classroom teachers–we encourage you to schedule soon! If you would also like to connect with your child's specialist teachers, they are available for in-person, phone, or Zoom conferences–please email the specialist directly to schedule a time.

We are so proud of our Salesian Leaders, Chip and Giada! Chip leads with kindness, respect, and a willingness to help younger classmates. His playful personality and caring spirit make everyone feel welcome in our classroom. Giada shines in STEM by demonstrating patience, courage, and fortitude. She waits her turn, keeps trying when challenges arise, and generously shares building supplies with her classmates. Both Chip and Giada remind us that being a leader means showing kindness, helping others, and never giving up!

This year, each Lower School classroom has a goal of collecting items to fill one family food box. Every student will be assigned an item to contribute, and classes will have the opportunity to decorate and bless their boxes together. Later this month, our Visitation Sisters will distribute the boxes to families in the Minneapolis community. What a wonderful way for our students to put gratitude, generosity, and service into action as we prepare for Thanksgiving!

One of the most exciting moments in a Montessori classroom is when children discover they can build their own words! The Movable Alphabet allows children to explore language by using letters to represent the sounds they hear in words.

Before children are ready to write with a pencil, they can use these colorful letters to build words, create simple sentences, and express their thoughts. This hands-on experience develops phonetic awareness, spelling skills, creativity, and confidence. Through the Movable Alphabet, children discover that letters have sounds, sounds make words, and words give them the power to share their ideas with the world.

Small letters, big discoveries, and the beginning of a lifelong love of reading and writing!

As part of our Global Citizens curriculum and inspired by our school’s hospitality virtue of the year, we invite families to share a little piece of their home culture with our class.

Each of us has unique family traditions, stories, celebrations, and customs. Sharing these with our children helps us celebrate our differences, build connections, and grow as welcoming global citizens. Please send us one page about a special family tradition or cultural practice, along with pictures if you’d like. Be creative! We will turn your contributions into a class culture book to enjoy during morning groups and add to our classroom library.

We also invite you to send a framed family photo to help make our classroom feel a little more like home. Thank you for helping us create a classroom where every family and culture is welcomed, celebrated, and valued!

Professional Development. No School. Extended Day available.

Montessori Christmas Party

When: December 16th, Wednesday.

Time: 10:00 - 10:45

Place: DeChantal (small auditorium)

The Middle School Global Girls will be hosting a popcorn and cookie sale at the Popcorn Corner once a month! We will sell popcorn and cookies after school, just like Sister Mary Paula did years ago.

The Popcorn Corner began with Sister Mary Paula. She sold treats to anyone who wanted them, including students, families, and even teachers! Sister Mary Paula also founded VISTORY, a service program for students. She needed to raise money for VISTORY, so she started selling cookies and popcorn. The Sisters had the popcorn machines, and they loved to bake, so the cookies were always fresh!

Sister Mary Paula created a welcoming space and showed the virtue of hospitality by opening her heart, sharing what she had, and making others feel welcome. We want to continue the Popcorn Corner to honor the Sisters, practice hospitality, and help others. All cookies and popcorn will be $1 each—cash only.

Where Will the Money Go?

This year, all of our proceeds will go to College Monfant, a Catholic school in Togo, West Africa.

Just like Visitation, College Monfant was founded by Catholics who believe in the importance of education. By supporting College Monfant, we can share our Visitation spirit of hospitality with students across the world.

Join us after school from 2:40–3:15 PM on these dates:

• Friday, November 20
• Friday, December 18
• Friday, January 29
• Friday, February 26
• Thursday, March 18
• Friday, April 23
• Friday, May 28

All children will begin the day in Room 12. Please plan to arrive between 7:45–7:55 a.m. to allow your child time to settle in before the day begins. Check out the "Tips for Separation" link (below) with some helpful ideas for this process.

Morning prayer and instruction will begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. Any children who arrive late will need to be signed in and enter through door 5.

What to Expect

Drop Off: Enter through door 4 and bring your child to the entrance of the Montessori Hallway where you can say goodbye. A classroom adult (Miss Lannette, Miss Jesse, Miss Rachelle, or Miss Marla) will be there in the hallway to greet your child and supervise the cubby area before they enter the classroom.

If an adult needs to escort a child into the building, they will need to enter through Door #5 and check in at the front desk using our Raptor security system. For the safety of our students, no visitors or guests will be permitted into the building without a name tag and badge.

Pick Up: For children leaving at 2:45 p.m. you can park and wait just outside of door number 4. At 2:45 p.m. those children will be brought to the door 4 entry as a group for dismissal. Anyone picking up a child should have a photo identification with them. Extended day pick up will be at the extended day classroom space (room 13).