SWIMS January Newsletter
School Bulletin Board
Happy New Year! We begin the new year with warm memories of the celebrations of December. The long winter work periods afford time to assess each student and see their progress. In the Lower School we often see infants making strides (literally) in large and fine motor development, toddlers becoming progressively more independent in toileting, ec students enjoying the endless variations of the sensorial materials leading them into math and language, as well as the extensions of art, science and food prep. In the Upper School students are spending time each day on math and language skills with extended blocks of time for art, science, history and geography. The quiet days of January are where we often see significant progress.
Thank you for completing re-enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year. We are working to make this process more streamlined. If you have not yet received a confirmation, please email bruce@soaringwings.org. Classes will be confirmed in the spring. Most classes are full but Waiting Lists are still short if you have not yet completed re-enrollment.
The whole school will assemble on the 12th for a March on Washington led by the Upper School. Students will learn about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his dream and consider their own dreams. They will create art and posters demonstrating what they would like to see in the world, then march to let their voices be heard. Wasatch will construct a Washington Monument this year and we will gather there to hear speeches recited by Evergreen and join together in songs of peace.This celebration will end with “Imagine” by John Lennon. If you read the letter to the editor in the Park Record recently by one of our graduates, Annie Agle, you know this may begin a lifetime of freedom of expression.
On the 26th and 27th of this month our school will host the state Utah Montessori Council Annual Conference in Salt Lake City. Emily Squadroni is the Conference Coordinator who has brought in speakers from across the country including Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen, author of The Future of Smart. We are honored to be able to host Dr. Hansen. Every member of our faculty will be involved in putting on the conference. This is not only a professional development event for our entire faculty, but very much like a family reunion with our colleagues from the Montessori community.
One of our notable speakers for the UMC Conference is Andrew Kutt, who will be on campus on Wednesday January 24th from 2:15 – 3:15pm to share his music and Montessori philosophy with you and your family. Andrew is a Montessori teacher, Administrator and musician from Washington, DC whose Montessori message comes through his music. We invite you to join us for Montessori peace, love and music with Andrew on the 24th 2:15-3:15pm. Take a look at your calendar let us know how many of your family can be there.
January
1st…Happy New Year!
2nd…School resumes.
12th…Half Day Dismissal – Happy MLK, Jr. Holiday! Celebrate your dream!
11:30 – 11:45 am dismissal: Bumblebees & Sunflowers Toddler Classes, Ladybugs and Turquoise Early Childhood Classes
11:45 – noon dismissal:El Nido Infant Class, Chickadees & Tadpoles Toddler Classes, Bluebirds EC Class, Wasatch Elementary, Evergreen Middle School and Bridgemont High School Classes
15th…MLK, Jr Day – No School!
24th…Peace, Love and Music with Andrew Kutt, 2:15 – 3:15pm. Join us!
26th…Half Day Dismissal – Utah Montessori Council Annual Conference
11:30 – 11:45 am dismissal: Bumblebees & Sunflowers Toddler Classes, Ladybugs and Turquoise Early Childhood Classes
11:45 – noon dismissal:El Nido Infant Class, Chickadees & Tadpoles Toddler Classes, Bluebirds EC Class, Wasatch Elementary, Evergreen Middle School and Bridgemont High School Classes
February
14th…Party Day! All classes attend at regular times.
- Infants and Toddlers (3 – 18 months) celebrate during normal class time. Valentines are optional.
- Early Childhood (3- 6 years) celebrate during the morning. See below for names for Valentines.
- Elementary, Middle School & High School (6-15 years) celebrate during the afternoon. See below for names for Valentines.
See class sign-ups for special snacks and supplies needed.
16th…Half Day Dismissal for Presidents’ Week Holiday (aka Ski Week)
11:30 – 11:45 am dismissal: Bumblebees & Sunflowers Toddler Classes, Ladybugs and Turquoise Early Childhood Classes
11:45 – noon dismissal:El Nido Infant Class, Chickadees & Tadpoles Toddler Classes, Bluebirds EC Class, Wasatch Elementary, Evergreen Middle School and Bridgemont High School Classes
19th – 23rd…No School – Presidents’ Week
Lower School Lowdown – News from our Infant, Toddler and Early Childhood Classes
Clear Contac paper is a fabulous collage medium for infants and toddlers – and a great one to try at home!
Infant & Toddler Impressions – News from the El Nido Infant Class, Bumblebees, Chickadees, Sunflowers & Tadpoles Toddler Classes
Coming back to school after a two-week break requires a little re-normalization. But this time it will go much more smoothly than it did in the fall, usually taking only a few days instead of a few weeks for everyone to feel comfortable in the familiar routines again. The warm hugs, smiles, and exciting challenges will soon have everyone working with great concentration and joy again. It helps to keep your home routine as consistent as possible with our school routine. Be on time and remember that we will all be more tired the first week or two as we adjust back into our school days.
This month we study winter, looking closely at snow and what plants, animals and people do in winter. Snow ice cream is a favorite project this month!
We will also study fishes in January with specimens to observe in class and a look at the needs and and adaptations of fishes. If you have any fish-related books to share this is a good time. And a trip to the Living Planet Aquarium would be a terrific snowy day outing with the family this month!
Excellence from Early Childhood – Every Day in the Bluebirds, Ladybugs & Turquoise Classes
While December brought the merriment of celebrating traditions around the world and the self-control of practicing the songs and dances for our Winter Celebration play over and over again, January is a time of long, quiet work periods in ec classes when students and teachers are enjoying watching the academic progress unfold. 1st year students are starting to pull their heads up from Practical Life and notice what else there is to do, moving into academics with work habits, concentration and fine motor skills ready for a challenge. 2nd year students are feeling confident, having mastered many of the foundations the ec classes offer. They are ready for some longer lessons with more steps added and more abstraction. And 3rd year students are masters of the classroom, savoring the long work periods when they explore every detail of the materials that explain what they will be learning in language, math, history, geography, science and the arts for the rest of their lives.
In January we look at Frida Kahlo, Ansel Adams, Winter, South America, Fishes and Eric Carle. So much to learn, so much to create! We culminate the fish lessons with a fish print project. If you have a fish in your freezer to contribute, please let us know!
We recommend providing a variety papers, stickers, drawing tools, paint, scissors and ribbons so your student can make their own Valentines. But in order to do so, start early and just make a few at a time. Or convene the whole family for a Valentine production line and make enough to send to grandparents and cousins! Children who can read and write can add names to their Valentines:
Bluebirds: Asi, Claire, Cooper, Emilia, Gaia, Jordan, Kate, Lily, Logan, Louise, Lucy, Luna, Matilda, Meru, Orion, Paxton, Remy, Rickie, Thea, Victoria, Laura & Grace
Ladybugs: Aksel, Alexander, Asher, Brooks, Charlie, Elliott, Finn, Julian, Kellen, Lola, Mallory, Mason, McKayla, Nora, Olive, Oliver, Saoirse, Sienna, Sydney, Violet, Kassidy & Arielle
Turquoise: Alan, Alec, Ani, Ava, Ciera, Declan, Dylan, Elliott, Grace, Kennedy,Lawson, Levi, Noah, Oliver, Oisin, Quinn, Ramsey, William, Winter, Annie & Hollis
Updates from Upper School – News from our Elementary, Middle School and High School Classes
Elements of Wasatch Elementary, Evergreen Middle & Bridgemont High School Classes
Watching the big kids take the lead in December events was a treat. There were celebrations of Diwali, Los Posadas and Hanukkah and endless rehearsals for our Winter Celebration, “The Winter Wonder Magical Snowflake Snow Pirate Carnival Quest!” These students were in charge of pulling together ideas for the play, writing most of it, prop handling for each scene of the play, memorizing lines, learning songs and dances and being stand-ins for one another if needed! It was impressive. We heard a few parents comment, “I’d pay money for this show!” We were thrilled to be able to offer a live Winter Celebration once again and all the rehearsals, edits, choreography, costumes, creating sets and props was fabulous for their confidence and sense of being a part of something bigger than themselves.
And on top of all the Theater work in December Evergreen relaunched their candle and soap shop, Wild Pine Designs, and sold out of every batch. The profits will enable them to plan a fabulous trip this spring to learn something new. We’ve heard rumors so far of southern Utah, Northern Wyoming and Catalina Island, while our Bridgemont High School student is planning to meet her class of online students from all over the world in Washington DC. We look to the New Year with ideas for which the sky is the limit!
For your Valentine making pleasure-
Wasatch: Amelia, Beatrice, Benny, Brooklyn, Dylan, Jaycee, Morgan, Noah, Rafael, Sloane, Agnes & Emily
Evergreen: Chloe, Darya, Emma, Gabriel, Juliet, Lada, Manuel, Winter, Eden & Emily