September 2020 With Mr. Patrick & Mrs. Buonadonna

Dear Greene Towne Parents,

Hello and welcome to the first blog entry of the 2020-2021 school year! We’re off to a fantastic start and I’m so thrilled to be seeing all of the work that has been done so far this year. Our classroom has been abuzz with students of all our age groups challenging themselves with new and exciting Montessori materials. It is a testament to the resilience, adaptability, and motivation of our students that they come in each day ready to work towards new goals while being entirely unphased by the safety measures we have enacted.

For these first few weeks, we have been observing each student closely – allowing them to demonstrate to us their capabilities so that we can provide the developmentally appropriate materials for their next steps. We’ve taken note of the specific interests of each child, so that we may use those to attract them to different areas of the classroom, ensuring well rounded and fulfilling work cycles for all. It’s an exciting moment when a student has one of those realizations that the sounds they’ve been practicing can actually build words, or that math can, in fact, be fun!

We have many goals for our group as we move into October. First, we will continue taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of each individual. All of our students have become accustomed to wearing masks throughout the day and washing hands frequently. We will also strive to challenge our students with work opportunities that push the limits of what we’ve already seen them achieve, and we will do this while respecting that every person learns at their own pace. We will work towards maintaining a classroom climate that is respectful of all members. Grace and courtesy – pillars of Montessori philosophy – will always be priorities of the highest order in our classroom.

As we move into October, you’ll begin to hear about a lot of new Halloween themed work in the classroom. Those materials are already creeping in, and the students have been thrilled to engage with them. We have many pumpkins already – some for carving, some for scavenger hunts, some just for decoration – but if you would like to send any more in with your child, we won’t say no! Thank you to those families who have already taken it upon themselves to bring us a few, and thank you to everyone who has donated plants to our classroom! Our room is turning into a jungle and everyone has been excited to examine new additions to our green(e) room.

I hope you all enjoy the attached photos and that they provide some insight into what we’ve been up to throughout the month. We are looking forward to seeing each of you who can make it to the Greene Towne Walk in the Rail Park, this Saturday (10/3) between 10 & 12 o’clock. Please find locations to enter the Rail Park at www.therailpark.org. See you there!

Warmly,

Mr. Patrick and Mrs. Buonadonna