SWIMS August Newsletter
August 2024
25…Open House! 3:00 – 4:30pm.Swing by the school to see your student’s classroom and visit with faculty and other families. We look forward to seeing you!
26…First day of the 2024-2025 school year!
29…Parent Orientation 3:00 – 4:00pm. Join us for an introduction to what your student will be doing in school this year including Q & A with teachers. Childcare provided. Please respond to duna@soaringwings.org by August 27th with the number of adults and children in your party.
30…Half day for all students!
Ducklings Infant Class, Bumblebees and Sunflowers Toddler Classes, Ladybugs and Turquoise Early Childhood Classes dismiss 11:30 – 11:45am.
Owlets Infant Class, Chickadees & Tadpoles Toddler Classes and Bluebirds & Wildflowers Early Childhood Class, Wasatch Elementary, Evergreen Middle School and Bridgemont High School Classes dismiss 11:45 – noon.
September
1…No School, Labor Day!
4…Cider Social 2:30 – 3:30pm
12 – 13…Elementary/Middle School Fall Family Campout!
20…International Sing for Peace Day – Wear white!
October
1…Back to School Night 3:00 – 4:30pm
8 – 9…School Photos!
Back to School!
As we trickle back into town and dust the sand off our feet we turn our thoughts to the new school year.
Our new infant wing is finally complete, including the infant sensorial playground – a collaboration of our infant faculty’s inspirations for the simplest possible space for an infant to explore grass, sand, water, flowers, herbs, rocks safely and at their own pace. And inside we are adding the green part of our green lounge, a space where families and faculty can relax together. Leith’s wife, Suda Keomanivong, is our new master gardener. She is an artist and horticulturist with a plan for installing a green wall while also improving our greenhouses and patio gardens so students can maintain them.
Our Bridgemont High School Class has expanded in its second year with new students moving into their individual offices to prepare for a year of rigorous work together punctuated by meaningful entrepreneurial and community projects and extraordinary field trips. The class is made up of students from around the world who meet online each day for 2 – 3 hours with some of the most talented Montessori high school teachers in the country. On their field trip to Washington DC last spring leaders were struck by their maturity, responsibility and mutual support – just what we expect our Montessori children to grow up to be!
Early childhood boasts a new classroom, the Wildflowers Class led by Hollis Esposito. Wait until you see how beautifully she has designed this new learning space!
Amanda and Eden returned from humanitarian work in South America and Asia. Paulina returned from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies, having spent three weeks with some of the leading infant and toddler Montessorians in the country. Leah, Emily and Duna returned from their summer residency at University of Wisconsin also learning from some of the brightest and best in the educational field. Leith worked on his master’s degree at the University of Utah in an innovative business program and worked with Cody Squadroni on building a world class school organizational system. Bruce got our next renovation lined up – due to begin in the spring. And everyone spent some time exploring the world. It was a fantastic and very productive summer.
Students will find new surprises and old favorites when they return to school on August 26th. We invite you to come by on Sunday the 25th for a short Open House to see the classrooms, meet families and visit with faculty. We hope to see you between 3:00 and 4:30pm on the 25th!
Getting Back into Routines
Drop-off/Pick-up
Drop-off and pick-up times are staggered to support traffic flow:
8:15 – 8:30am drop-off, 2:45 – 3:00pm pick-up:
Bridgemont High School Class, Evergreen Middle School & Wasatch Elementary Classes at front doors
8:30 – 8:45am drop-off, 11:30 – 11:45 or 2:30 – 2:45 pick-up:
Ducklings Infant Class, Bumblebees & Sunflowers Toddler Classes, Ladybugs & Turquoise Early Childhood Classes at patio gates
8:45-9:00 drop-off, 11:45 – 2:00 or 2:45 – 3:00pm pick-up:
Owlets Infant Class, Chickadees & Tadpoles Toddler Classes, Bluebirds & Wildflowers Early Childhood class at patio gates
Transitioning Back to School
We allow the first 6 weeks of school for normalization as we all settle back into the routines of the school year. We will all be more tired these first few weeks. This is a good time to move bedtime a little earlier to accommodate the sleep your student needs through the winter.
Infants 3 – 12 months need 14-16 hrs of sleep each day, including naps
Toddlers 1 – 3 yrs need 11 – 14 hrs of sleep
Early childhood students 3 – 6 yrs need 10 – 13 hrs
Elementary, middle school and high school students need 9 – 12 hrs sleep each night.
Be Wise, Montessori-ise!
Whether your child is 3 months or 15 years old, the best way to prepare them for success is to prepare the environment. Preparation of the learning environment is what teachers do best. Ask any of us if you need some ideas!
Generally, look around your home and think about how your children can be more independent with arrangements such as:
- *Hooks for coats and back packs and shoe storage at child height by back door
- *Children’s dishes, utensils and acceptable snacks in a kitchen cupboard at their level
- *A child-sized table, chairs and accessible child-sized cooking tools so they can cook along with you
- *An accessible shelf with age-appropriate books, games and puzzles for your children in the living room
- *Low drawers and clothing rods in the bedroom with a few choices in appropriate clothing that children can choose on their own.
- *Small laundry hamper so children can transport their own laundry to the laundry room and back.
- *Just a few toys and activities available at a time on shelves so children can access them and return them to their places, rather than a toy basket or toy box that has to be dumped in order to find anything.
- *Small baskets or bins for sorting and organizing small items like Legos, doll clothes, art supplies, trains and cars.
We will soon be sending home catalogs from Montessori Services that offer child-sized carpet sweepers, dust pans and brooms, mops, choppers, spreaders and many other useful items so your child can truly be helpful at home.
Bigger Kids, More Responsibility
Students are a few months older now and ready to expand their independence which brings them such joy and confidence.
Infants who can walk can carry their backpacks into school now.
Toddlers can set and clear off their places at the family table. They can put away toys, just like they do at school and make their beds if it’s just a simple duvet to pull up.
Early childhood students can help prepare a salad or side dish for the family meal and pack their lunch for the following day.
Elementary, middle school and high school students can cook a meal once a week, be in charge of their own laundry, and clean their own bedroom and bathroom.
Be sure to give your student lots of positive feedback as they gain new skills, such as, “I noticed how hard you worked on cleaning the mirror – it really shines!” We try to avoid validations like “good job” because we want students to feel their own pride in their work rather than looking to others for approval. For more on this, look at Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen or How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Faber and Mazlish.
Dog Days
Teachers will be sending out welcome messages in the next days with further details. Plan to stop by between 3:00 and 4:30pm on Sunday, the 27th, so your student can see the classroom, find their locker, talk to faculty and classmates and be ready to start school again on the 28th. In the meantime, enjoy these last dog days of a very beautiful summer. Take some time to smell the flowers, roll down a grassy hill or watch the clouds or stars with your child. Summer will be a fond memory too soon!
