"If teaching is to be effective with young children, it must 
assist them to advance on the way to independence."
—Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child

Please scroll down for the list of important dates.

Important Message Regarding FCMA Safety and Security
 

Dear Four Corners Montessori Academy Families,

We are deeply saddened by the tragic news from Florida this past week.  As educators and as parents, it is difficult to comprehend such catastrophic events.  We feel closely connected to the children, teachers, staff and families who were so devastated by this loss of innocent lives.  Our thoughts are with the members of that community.

We want to reassure you that Four Corners Montessori Academy is committed to the safety and well-being of all our students at all times.  We take school safety and security very seriously and have clear plans and procedures to deal with emergency situations.  Though no amount of planning can guarantee that a tragedy such as this will not occur, we are doing everything we know to keep students and staff safe while at school.  Such as school administration being trained by the Michigan State Police on responding to emergency situations and routinely practicing lockdown drills that are evaluated and approved by the Madison Heights Police Department.  Additionally, we are coordinating our procedures with those of the church for increased security.

While we continue to review these plans annually in an effort to eliminate any oversights, this upcoming week we will be convening, as a staff, to review other precautionary measures that will be implemented to maintain a secure but still nurturing environment for our students.  We are currently working closely with the Madison Heights Police Department to review our safety practices and crisis interventions plans. 

Most importantly, we want to promote a culture where everyone has a responsibility to be vigilant and focused on safety.  Therefore, we ask that all visitors and volunteers check in and out when in the school, regardless of the time of day.  Visitors and volunteers must wear a badge, in plain sight, at all times while on school grounds.  All exterior doors will always be locked and should not be propped or held open, for anyone, to ensure that no unauthorized person enters.  Visitors will not be allowed in the modular buildings (preschool, Chestnut Room, and middle school) without notification from office staff.  We also ask that parents and students share any information that could be considered threatening to our community with school administration.

We will look to learn from this latest school tragedy and use that information to continue to make improvements to our security and response procedures, as well as work to be proactive.

Wishing you all a peaceful and restful mid-winter break,

Stacy M. Byrd
Assistant Head of School

Current Families & Any Siblings
Re-Enrollment: Feb. 19th - March 2nd

Preschool
Open Enrollment: March 5th, first-come, first-served basis

New Families
Open Enrollment: March 14th - March 28th

Lottery:
March 30th

Parent Literacy Workshop, for families of K-3 students

Building Our Better Angels
By: Laura Moellering

The week’s news has been particularly difficult, and social media drives up our anxiety about what seem like overwhelming, intractable societal problems. It is hard not to let fear and anxiety get the best of us. Social media, and a caustic media environment in general make it difficult not to believe Henny Penny that the sky is indeed falling.

The school should be a place to counter such anxieties as the careful examination of data and information actually serves optimism.  Bill Gates has recently been touting Steven Pinker’s book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, which reminds us that despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary, broader data indicates that we are getting better as a world and society. In other words, our laws and systems, especially our education system, are doing what they should do. Historically speaking, life is better than it has ever been: crime rates are down; life expectancy is up; racism, child abuse, domestic violence—these are all in decline. 

Schools are the places where our “better angels” are developed. In school, students learn that when they work together, they solve problems. In school, students meet children from many backgrounds and discover that they like them. In school, students are called upon to defend ideas and opinions with facts. In school, students learn that human beings are capable of, and have accomplished, extraordinary things and continue to overcome adversity.

This is the source of optimism. Optimism isn’t rose-colored glasses that fails to recognize where danger or peril lies or fails to recognize problems. Instead, optimism is the belief that despite obstacles, solutions to the thorniest of problems exist. Optimism is what is behind perseverance and “grit.” Optimism isn’t necessarily a sunny disposition either (although that is often helpful!), some of the most acerbic voices in history were also our greatest optimists. Think of Winston Churchill, who said, “For myself I am an optimist—it does not seem to be much use being anything else.” Or Al Gore, whose stand on climate change would make anyone think he allied his belief’s with Henny Penny; yet, he says, “I'm naturally an optimist, but my basis for hope is rooted in my understanding of human nature.”

So while individual events, especially like those of the last week, may invite despair or rage, they should also invite reasoned discourse that has as its goal the belief that we can solve our problems. A Montessori education, based on self-direction, and non-competitive and cooperative activities help children develop a strong self-image, high levels of academic and social competence, and the confidence to face challenges with optimism. By embracing peace, education, and the knowledge that on the whole human beings have been pretty successful at making the world better and better, we will succeed.

Real vs. Imaginary Play for Young Children

"The young child believes what he sees, hears, and experiences. The young child cannot distinguish between what's real and/or make-believe. Remember, everything - virtually everything - is new and amazing to children. Observing and discovering nature is fantastic enough for a child under the age of six. Watch him explore his surroundings. You need not seek out the extraordinary or make up fantastic stories to entertain little children."