The March Recap: Springing Forward Together

Apr 9
4 min read

March was a whirlwind of activity, growth, and "firsts" at our school! From the buzzing of bees to the cherry blossoms of Washington D.C. to the skyscrapers of New York City, our students and staff have been busy making this month one for the history books. Here is a look back at the magic we created together.

Building Our Future: Construction Update

The most visible sign of our growth is happening right outside our windows! We are thrilled to share that we are nearly finished with the steel frame construction and the concrete pour of the second floor for our brand-new facility.

We reached a major milestone this month as the crew began framing out the windows and putting up the walls. Seeing the rooms take shape makes our dreams for this new space feel more real every single day!

Inclusion & Advocacy: Celebrating Every Mind

Our Special Education and ESOL team (Frances Ortiz Paez, Brenda Sandford, Tiffany Prado, and Imee Fernandez) led the way in deepening our community’s understanding and empathy this month:

"Lots of Socks" Day: We rocked our brightest, most colorful mismatched socks to raise awareness for Down Syndrome. It was a beautiful visual reminder that while we are all different, we all "fit" together!
Autism Awareness: We also took time to honor Autism Awareness Day, focusing on the strengths and unique perspectives of our neurodivergent friends. Thank you to our staff for helping us build a more inclusive, supportive world for every student.

Montessori Excellence on the National Stage

We are incredibly proud of our faculty for representing us at the American Montessori Society (AMS) National Conference in Washington, D.C. It was a week of deep learning and professional inspiration!

Sharing Our Expertise: Kelly De La Cruz (celebrating her 7th time presenting at an AMS National Conference) and Nancye Black (celebrating her 5th time presenting at an AMS National Conference) shared how to use Minecraft as a Montessori material for exploration and deeper understanding.
A National Debut: Diana Wali Eddine gave a brilliant first-time national presentation titled "Bridging Standards and Students: Aligning Montessori Math with Common Core in Bilingual Classrooms." Additionally, Neimalie Rodriguez presented for the first time on using Minecraft to enhance Cultural Studies.
Bringing Innovation Home: We were also thrilled to have Aimee Diaz and Mercedes Haedo join the team in D.C.!

The team spent the week connecting with educators from across the country, gathering innovative strategies to bring back to our campus. They returned with hearts filled with inspiration! We are especially excited to implement some new concepts for how to support children and parents of children aged 0-3years old.

Teacher Achievement Spotlight

Join us in a huge round of applause for Alieth De Borg, who officially completed her Montessori Certification this month! Her dedication to the Montessori method and her commitment to our students is truly inspiring. We are so lucky to have her expertise in our classrooms!

Diplomacy in the Big Apple

Our global citizens were also on the move! We sent a dedicated team, led my Kimberly Falgas, to New York City for our third Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN) program. Our delegates did an incredible job representing the country of Somalia, engaging in complex negotiations and researching international solutions. Watching our students step into the shoes of world leaders was truly inspiring. Learn more about their experience on this post!

Guardians of the Garden and Pioneer Pride

Our grade 1 to 3 learners in Kimberly Rauck, Fanny Apu Valle and Claret Trejo’s classroom have been busy connecting with our habitat and our history!.

The Guardians: After a visit from a local beekeeper to learn about the vital role of pollinators, they took action! The class recycled old tires to create vibrant white planters, filling them with seeds and plants to support our local ecosystem.

The Pioneers: The class also stepped back in time for Pioneer Day, where they made their own butter, constructed log cabins, and explored the persevering spirit of the early settlers.

Speaking of growth, our Charter School Program (CSP) purchases have started to arrive! We’ve been unboxing some exciting new resources, including a very wiggly shipment of live worms to kickstart our new school gardening program. The biggest challenge is where to store everything in our tiny little facility.

Middle School Milestones

March marked a major "first" for our 6th graders, led by Dr. Lois Horn Diaz, who attended their very first County-wide Academic Competition! They represented our school with pride, showing off the critical thinking and teamwork skills they work on every day. Learn more about it on our post earlier in March!

"The Best Day Ever!"

We kicked off March with Field Day, and thanks to our amazing army of parent volunteers, it was a resounding success. The energy was electric, the competition was friendly, and the consensus from the students was clear: it was "the best day ever!"

Creativity & Harmony

The arts and practical life skills are thriving at our school:

In the Studio: Upper Elementary Leslyn Rushing's art students mastered the intricate skills of sewing and embroidery, creating beautiful, hand-crafted work.
On the Airwaves: Our talented music teacher, Sarah Morrison, officially released her band, Lost Noises Office’s, new album “Cloud, Castle, Lake”! We are so proud of her artistry—please give it a listen and a follow on Spotify or on Bandcamp!

Children’s House Classroom Spotlights

It was a month of laughter, exploration, hands on learning and deep focus, from friends learning to add adverbs to their sentences to beautiful map-making projects during Montessori Education Week.

A Look Ahead

As we "Spring Forward" into April, we carry the momentum of March with us. Thank you to our teachers, our volunteers, and especially our students for making our school such a beautiful place to grow.