Assistants

May 14, 2020

All Guides know the gift of an assistant...they do the most behind the scene work that often goes un-noticed.  I have been daily inspired by our assistants.  Their positive demeanor, joyful countenance, endearing fortitude, silent perseverance and daily humility all wrapped in their constant kindness.

Assistants are the key to ensuring that the Guide is able to focus on instruction without interruption.  The assistant views the classroom in its entirety, stepping in to help protect student concentration and work, enabling lessons through assisting students when the Guide is occupied with another student, and modeling grace and courtesy for the mixed-age classroom.

Annette Haines, Ed.D., a prolific writer and Montessori trainer, spoke of the importance of the Montessori Assistant in “The Role of the Teacher and the Role of the Assistant.  "Someone asked a famous conductor of a great symphony orchestra which instrument he considered the most difficult to play.  The conductor thought a moment, then said, “Second fiddle.  I can get plenty of first violinists.  But to find one who can play second fiddle with enthusiasm – that’s a problem.  And if we have no second fiddles, we have no harmony.”  

A huge shout-out today and enormous thank you to those who make our harmony:

Ms. Rose Ann

Ms. Pugh

Ms. Virginia

Ms. Louise

Ms. Clare

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A little peek in our homes this past week:

Making candied flowers

The building process

Building vehicles

Toddler Google Meet :)

Katy getting help from Albus

Cursive

Lanforms

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Cousin Lego time!

Kindergarten Bridging Ceremony

May 13, 2020

It is time to honor our Kindergartners!! We shall do so with our traditional Bridging Ceremony!

What is this:

This is our congratulations as we celebrate and recognize the growth and personal achievement of each current Kindergartner in a meaningful and heartfelt way.

Instead of graduations and receiving a diploma, the children would typically walk across a bridge to symbolize this profound "passing through." This concrete experience to bridge to the Elementary classroom marks a significant period of growth in a child's life. It is also an exciting beginning to new adventures and discoveries for the Elementary child at St. John's.

Even a pandemic cannot stop us from celebrating with these students...we invite you all to join us! The Bridging Ceremony will happen next Wednesday, May 20th at 10:30AM as we REALLY want Mrs. Salonek to be able to welcome her new E1 students BEFORE she goes into labor (baby is due May 23).

For those who do not have a Kindergartner, simply drive to school, park in the spots in the center of the lot, leaving a parking spot empty between cars.  You are invited to bring noise makers to join the celebratory sound after "bridging". :)

As of right now, besides staff, everyone must remain inside their vehicles...our goal is to have lots of fun celebrating these Kindergartners while ensuring we follow the guidelines requested of us.

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Join me in congratulating our Kindergartners

Graduation class of 2032!!

Carter

Cecily

Elisa

Gianna

Monica

Tali

Tiana

Tori

CONGRATULATIONS!!

A Shout Out To....

May 12, 2020

I would like to time today to give a Shout Out to someone who joined our SJB team this year and has been constantly willing to say 'yes,' no matter the request.  This person has been a Jack-of-All-Traits this year as well as a master of many!

From hallway support to playground playmate to lunch bunch buddy to developing a SOAR program after school; he meets every child with a smile, a joyful laugh and a love for where each child is at in their development.

THANK YOU Mr. Heffernan for your continual dedication to the children and families at SJB!  We are so glad you are here!!

Check out what is happening in our homes!

It feels like we are entering the last leg of the race.  We can do it!!

Yesterday, my own children were singing: "You can do it if you try, V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!"

Every picture shows a victory!  Let's keep on...we can do it!! Enjoy some time outside...the 'classroom' doesn't have to be confided to 4 walls. :)

Pope Francis to Mothers

May 11, 2020

I received this and wanted to pass it on! Blessings to all MOTHERS!!

SUNDAY, MAY 10, 2020 

“We are here before Mary. We have prayed under her motherly leadership that she guide us to be ever more united to her Son Jesus. We have brought her our joys and our suffering, our hopes and our struggles; we have invoked her by the beautiful title of Salus Populi Romani imploring her for us all, for Rome, for the world that she grant us health. Yes, because Mary gives us health, she is our health… I think above all of three things: she helps us grow, to confront life, to be free. A mother helps her children grow up and wants them to grow strong; that is why she teaches them not to be lazy — which can also derive from a certain kind of wellbeing — not to sink into a comfortable life-style, contenting oneself with possessions. A mother then thinks of the health of her children, teaching them also to face the difficulties of life. You do not teach, you do not take care of health by avoiding problems, as though life were a motorway with no obstacles…A mother knows how to balance things. A life without challenges does not exist and a boy or a girl who cannot face or tackle them is a boy or girl with no backbone! Lastly, a good mother not only accompanies her children in their growth, without avoiding the problems and challenges of life; a good mother also helps them to make definitive decisions with freedom. This is not easy, but a mother knows how to do it. But what does freedom mean? It is certainly not doing whatever you want, allowing yourself to be dominated by the passions, to pass from one experience to another without discernment, to follow the fashions of the day; freedom does not mean, so to speak, throwing everything that you don’t like out the window. No, that is not freedom! Freedom is given to us so that we know how to make good decisions in life! O Mary, Salus Populi Romani, for the people of Rome, for all of us: give us the health that you alone can give us, to be ever a sign and instrument of life.”

Pope Francis 

Another peek inside our homes:

Pinata for Cinco de Mayo

Working together on Latin

Baking!

Virtual Baptism