January 2025
Welcome to the School’s Second Semester
On the heels of a lovely holiday season and restful break, the New Year ushers in the second half of the school year. We look forward to many special events and activities to excite our students and families. Our students were eager to return and share their holiday adventures with their friends. Happy 2025!
Three-in-One: Pancakes, Makers, and Bring Your Parents to School
Mark your calendars for our upcoming three-in-one event: Pancake Breakfast, Maker Faire, and Bring Your Parents to School Day. This much-loved, highly-anticipated event brings the school together on Saturday, January 25, for a morning and early afternoon to enjoy pancakes as a school community, marvel at our student’s creations in art, technology, science, engineering, and handcrafts, and have our students teach our parents (Toddler through Primary).
Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser: Zeppelin Hall (All Age Levels)
Enjoy fresh-flipped blueberry, chocolate chip, or rainbow pancakes flipped by our parent-volunteer chefs. New this year: Yogurt parfaits! All-you-can-eat buffet-style breakfast includes yogurt parfait, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and juice. Gluten-free and vegan pancake options are available. This fundraiser supports school enrichment initiatives to benefit all of our students. Cost: $40 per family (parents and all children). $15 per person for grandparents, caretakers, or additional people. Cost increases to $50 family/$20 per person if purchased at the door on the event day.
School Maker Faire: 50 Regent Building (All Age Levels)
We proudly present the only elementary school-based Maker Faire event in the region! All families—toddlers to middle schoolers—are welcome to visit the Maker Faire. Students from kindergarten and up will submit entries to exhibit or present at Maker Faire.
Bring Your Parents to School: (Only Toddler, Bridge Primary, and Primary)
Parents are invited into their child’s classroom for a 45-minute work period. Sign up for one of three shifts with your child as your “teacher.” Your child will make you an individually prepared work plan and guide you through a work cycle.
Recap From Lower Elementary Presents
On Holiday Cheer Day, the last day of school before break, our Lower Elementary students in Galaxy, Aurora, and Constellation serenaded parents as part of the Holiday Cheer choir in the 50 Regent back courtyard. Then, they wowed their parents with a Readers Theater show. Parents thoroughly enjoyed their in-class performances. Kudos to each classroom. Readers Theater aims to help students develop their reading skills, build confidence in their stage presence, and give children a purposeful way to practice fluency and reading aloud with expression.
Holiday Toy Drive Update
Full STEAM Ahead into 2025!
Our STEAM-based curriculum combines science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math (STEAM), supporting our students as the next innovators and critical thinkers. To close 2024, we featured our Hour of Code event for Kindergarteners and up, and our Middle Schoolers worked with the Billion Oyster Project at Governor’s Island.
As we head into 2025, our students prepare for their upcoming Future City competition (January 11, 2025), Spelling Bee, and Math competitions. We look forward to highlighting hundreds of projects at Maker Faire on January 25, 2025. We also assist our students as they gear up for the Montessori Model United Nations next month and the STEM Showcase in March.
Montessori in a Minute: Montessori Skyscrapers
Our Montessori Language Skyscrapers are an innovative Lower Elementary Language tool (First through Third Grade) that uses the concept of building "skyscrapers" from words or phrases. Word cards construct a tower, each representing a word from a different part of speech. The Language Skyscrapers encourage self-paced learning. They strengthen foundational literacy skills and support problem-solving, spatial awareness, and concentration. The Montessori Language Skyscrapers offer a playful yet educational way for children to develop key language skills in a way that makes learning enjoyable.
Upcoming Events
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Saturday, January 11: Future City Competition
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Saturday, January 20: School Closed for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
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Friday, January 24: Noon dismissal; No Aftercare or Afterschool Programs
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Saturday, January 25: Three-in-One Event: Pancake Breakfast, Maker Faire, and Bring Your Parents to School
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Friday, January 31: Lower El Visits NJPAC
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Friday, January 31: Progress Reports Go Out