Dear BCMCS Families,
May is finally here … conventionally, the month of May is filled with sunshine and blooms … hoping you are all able to enjoy the beauty that this month entails. Again, our theme for each month’s message this school year is to better understand Montessori philosophy. With the subjects already presented, we are now in the midst of discussing Montessori Shared Values to further elicit and expand on the Montessori pedagogy.
Our third and forth Montessori Shared Values is the ideal to focus on a Student-Centered Curriculum and the belief in Multi-Aged Class Settings. For the former, Montessori education believes that each child, being an individual, should learn and grow at their own rate and way. BCMCS offers children the freedom to select, within a set choice plan, their own academic ‘works.’ Individualized “academic aims” are developed for each child founded by observations of the child’s previous skill ability as well as confirmed by the teacher. Each child is given prearranged lessons at his/her own developmentally appropriate level and allowed to complete within uninterrupted work cycles which are intended to permit the child to complete tasks at their own rate. The pace at which a student completes a task is often irrelevant because the class is a heterogeneous mix of learning styles and age groups, which conveniently leads us to the latter shared value, that being set up within Multi-age class groupings. BCMCS arranges children in multi-age class groupings that correspond with Montessori’s developmental planes (ages 6-9 and 9-12, with a standalone Kindergarten). In this design, younger students are stimulated by older role models, who in turn blossom with the responsibilities of leadership-- students not only learn with each other, but also from each other, as students are often willing to aid, support and assist one another.
As always, please be sure to check the school's Web-Calendar for all pertinent dates, activities and information, paying close attention to after school clubs, school events [Walkathon, Staff Luncheon, etc.] and Memorial Day. On an additional note, we only have two parents signed up to distribute lunches for this entire month. Do recognize that this lunch option relies on volunteer assistance. Please consider volunteering by going to MyFoodDays.com, logging into your account and in the top left menu, and then navigating to the volunteering icon.
That's all for now … Take care and until next month ... ~Mr. Brian Long
