On Tuesday, June 14, Greensboro Montessori School welcomed a group of regional leaders who work in conjunction with the national nonprofit known as FoodCorps. FoodCorps is a nationwide team of AmeriCorps leaders who specialize in connecting kids to healthy food in school by providing nutrition education, hands-on activities like gardening and cooking, and access to school lunches filled with nutritious foods from local farms.
“Thousands of young Americans have dedicated themselves to reforming the food chain, from field to table, and of all the programs that have emerged to channel that energy and idealism, FoodCorps is the most inspiring.” - Michael Pollan (Featured Speaker in the 2016-17 Bryan Series sponsored by Guilford College)
The participants, who direct FoodCorps programs locally and regionally all over the state of North Carolina, conducted a day long retreat on our campus. Cooperative Extension directors from Guilford and Warren counties, nonprofit leaders from the Sandhills to Wilmington, and public school representatives from Cherokee, Scotland, and Wake Counties were in attendance. GMS Environmental Education teachers, Eliza Hudson and Jenny Kimmel, and Admissions Director, Rhea Egbert, led them all on an inspiring tour of the three expansive garden spaces on our 10-acre campus (for Primary, Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary/Middle School).
Did you know that 2017 will mark the 20th anniversary of Greensboro Montessori School's permaculture gardening program? Many of last week's FoodCorps visitors are just starting school gardens or managing programs that are young compared to ours, and we were honored and thrilled to share our experience, expertise and leadership in this area. We're even more excited to learn there is a growing number of school gardening and Farm to School programs popping up in Guilford County and throughout the state.
We are proud to be a pioneer in environmental education programming. Our gardens have a lot to offer not only our own families, but also the wider community. What a joy to share the philosophies of both Montessori and permaculture gardening with these visitors! Our hope is to inspire and encourage child-driven work around the state with this visit.
On behalf of the School and my teammates, thank you for your support of our gardens over the years and for allowing us to nurture each child’s relationship to the natural world. It gives us great pleasure to share what we’ve learned over the years because of your generosity.
To learn more about the history of the Greensboro Montessori School gardens, check out our blog on our School Within a Garden page
To learn more about FoodCorps (and their work here in Guilford County!), check out www.foodcorps.org.
The GMS Community Association proudly presents a celebration of photography, childhood and community at the 2016 GMS Green & White Bash on Saturday, April 23 from 7-11pm.
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The GMS Gymnasium is transformed into the Greensboro's swankiest art gallery featuring photography by your child and other GMS students. Patronize the exhibit while you admire the incredible work produced for our "Through a Child's Eyes" fundraising exhibit.
Ticket prices start at $35 but we hope you'll take a peek at our fun combo packages, too! Are you more like Ansel Adams, Annie Leibovitz or Steve McCurry?
Proceeds from the 2016 Green & White Bash support the GMS Annual Fund which directly enhances student learning by funding classroom and campus projects that are personally initiated and driven by our faculty.
What fabulous gallery social would be complete without exquisite wines, savory fare and more shopping opportunities...
- Heavy hors d'oeuvres, Dessert and Dancing. Cash bar.
- Menu by local fave, Savory Street Catering
- Silent Auction featuring luxury items, unique experiences and, of course, artwork!
- Browse the on-line catalog and start bidding early. Highest on-line bid will be our starting bid at the event.
- Fun Photo Booth - snap some memories with friends, props and a sense of humor.
- Blind Wine Pull - $20 a ticket to take your chance at an elegant rosé or a daring cabernet
- Gift Giving Wall - surprise a teacher with a tangible wish list item for the classroom
- The evening begins with a festive performance by the crowd stopping GMS Middle School Music Ensemble and ends with you on the dance floor moving to your favorite DJ request.
GMS Student Art Show
Youth Art Month takes place annually, traditionally in March, to celebrate the value of art education for all children. Please join us in our celebration of the arts by attending the GMS Student Art Show & Reception on Tuesday, March 15 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The art show is hosted by Mitchell & Bartlett Orthodontics, a true supporter of children's art and artists in the local community. Their office at 5314 West Friendly Avenue. This is the third year in a row that they have hosted a GMS art show. Thanks to Dr. Kelly Mitchell and her mother Sharon for being such gracious hosts.
These are just a few of the artists in Lower Elementary that will be exhibiting their work.
Lower Elementary Self Portraits
Imagination is more important than knowledge. - Albert Einstein
Self Portrait of Elizabeth
Self Portrait of Albert
Self Portrait of Mahinda
Self Portrait of Mary Grace
Upper Elementary Illuminations
Upper elementary art students have been using their art studio time to work on scenery for Medieval Faire Fare performance on Wednesday, March 23. As a result these talented artists will not be exhibiting a lot of their art work at the show. You can look forward to their art work displayed at the performance. Take a look at their Medieval illuminations they created in art.
Primary Art
Primary students enjoy taking their art home right upon completion, therefore they will not have their work displayed at the art show. However, please frequent the gallery hall located outside the front office to view some of their latest printmaking works.
I'm not sure what the draw is for basketball but on every level at GMS this sport is the number one activity that our students can't wait to play! Their excitement brings me a lot of satisfaction as their PE teacher - whether its watching the Lower Elementary students finally catch on to dribbling for more than one bounce or seeing a child light up after they have repeatedly thrown a basketball up in the air towards the backboard and hoop then finally it falls through the net. The very first time a child makes a basket is usually a big moment for them, and it makes me smile every time! We also have Lower El students that play on basketball teams outside the school who show a lot of skill and promise from a very young age. I enjoy watching all of the students develop their skills over the course of the year.
Often the kids get on a kick to see who can dribble for the longest or how many times they can dribble in a row. Recently, I watched one middle school girl dribble for 15 to 20 minutes in a row and the celebration in her voice when she told me, "That's my new record," was noteworthy.
Just as the Middle School basketball season comes and goes with a lot of excitement so does the thrill of playing basketball during PE class.
In the words of basketball legend, Michael Jordan, "Talent wins games but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."
Look what has hatched in the art room!
Lower elementary art students have been learning about life cycles in their classrooms and this prompted our current art project. Large eggs were created out of paper mache. Students learned an inexpensive and natural way to make paper mache. They may want to create this recipe at home. It is a simple recipe of equal parts of flour and water. I usually start with 1 cup flour and 1 cup water. Mix to get a paste like consistency and add water if too thick and flour if too watery. The students enjoyed mixing the recipe and getting it just right. So fun and so messy! Take a look at the process.
The following week they created either a snake or a caterpillar hatching out of their egg. This has been a great lesson for students to practice patience while working on a 3 dimensional art project that took many weeks. They are excited about completing their final art piece. Be on the look out for these marvelous creatures!
Students have also worked on scenery for their upcoming program about life cycles. Here is a sneak peek of one of their pieces.
“I want to live in a way that lines up with my values."
Volleyball begins right after our winter holiday break for students in the Elementary and Middle School. The classes focus on teamwork and communication in volleyball. Lower El is working hard on basic serves and hits. Upper El is playing without the need of a training ball (they are using one of the 2 pictured below) and middle school is midway through their ISL competitive volleyball season. Go Panthers! Championship game is Thursday, February 11.
Volleyball is a great team sport and makes the kids rely on their fellow team players in a way that other sports don't. It is rarely the case that a player can just hit the ball hard and score a point. In volleyball players must be able to hit the ball with some accuracy or at least be able to bump the ball straight up to set it for the player who can hit it over the net. Communication is essential to success! Sometimes it is challenging enough for youngsters to just get a good hit on the ball. But the other big challenge is to have enough confidence in your teammates that they will assist in the volley in order to get the ball over the net. In the end, whoever wins or loses doesn't matter, because the main lessons are about teamwork and good communication.
Following our unit on volleyball, we will move directly into basketball season. March Madness... here we come!!!
Thanks, Terry
Educating the Whole Child Research confirms that students perform better in school when they are emotionally and physically healthy. They miss fewer classes, are less likely to engage in risky or antisocial behavior, concentrate more and attain higher test scores.
January was a busy month in our Spanish classes, but we also had time to learn about Día de Reyes (Three Kings Day), a Spanish tradition celebrated on January 6 (the 12th day of Christmas) that commemorates the story of the three wise men who traveled from afar bearing gifts for the newborn Jesus. Hispanic children often set out symbolic goodies for the Kings and hay to feed their camels as well as a place to leave their shoes. When morning arrives, children discover that the camels ate the hay, and there are wrapped presents waiting beside their shoes.
Rosca de Reyes
Did de Reyes observance comes to a close with another Spanish Christmas tradition: a typical breakfast of Roscón de Reyes, a ring-shaped cake decorated with fruits symbolizing the precious gems that adorned Los Reyes Magos' clothing.
Our kids observed this tradition by sampling the Roscón de Reyes.
Griffin, Beck, Alexander dressed up as The Three Wise Men.
Willa delivering the Holiday cards to Well Spring Retirement Community made by Lower El students
Luke and Ryan very excited about the Rosca de Reyes
Javier, Mahinda, Komei as the Three Wise Men
Andrew, Albert, Mohamed enjoying the Three Wise Men Day
Middle Schoolers also enjoyed the Rosca, pictured Chloe and Theo
Bella and Lola ready for the Rosca
Greensboro Montessori School Elementary Spanish lessons practice vocabulary for shopping "en el mercado."
Today we were happy to welcome Adele Hyman and her father Michael Hyman for a quick visit to see her former classrooms. Adele attended our school as a Toddler (under the tutelage of retired GMS teacher, Linda Baggish) and was also a Primary student with Isabelle Bangham. In 2000, Adele left GMS when she and her family moved to England. She is now living in Massachusetts, and recently completed a travel study in Italy for 9 days. She was in town to visit her grandmother who is living at Wellspring Retirement community and to participate in a day of service at the Greensboro Children's Museum, who will be honoring her grandfather, Jerry Hyman, one of the co-founders of the museum. Like so many Montessori alumni, Adele is interested in learning about the world through travel, and has a commitment to service. She is happy to be participating once again in this annual event at the Greensboro Children's Museum.
We are always happy to see and hear from GMS alumni. Montessori alumni often write or visit to share their experiences.
