"Order is not goodness; but perhaps it is the indispensable road to arrive at it."

~Dr. Maria Montessori

Please scroll down for the list of important dates.

Social Media, Online Safety, Personal Branding

Friday, February 9th Julie Fisher, founder of The Social U, will be coming in to talk to our lower el, upper el and middle school students about the following:

Mobile Devices – etiquette, password tips, texting trouble, risks to avoid; Social Media – pros and cons, why kids make mistakes and how to avoid them, examples of real-life kid online mistakes, rules for social media; Your Social GPA™ & Social Media Report Card – how it can help

Parent Literacy Workshop, for families of K-3 students

Dear FCMA Families,

Music classes are back in full gear for 2018! In pre-primary and early el classes, we are continuing with our wide variety of songs, chants, and games intended to help children continue to develop musically. In middle school, students are working on independent work projects this cycle, and we have projects ranging from students singing their first solos, to digital compositions, to research projects on favorite musicians, to students creating a medley of songs from their favorite cartoon. It is a joy to see our smallest and biggest students grow each day as they connect to the music that moves them. 

In each lesson students naturally make connections to their prior experience and the world around them. These moments can be both beautiful and hilarious, overt and internal. We also have the chance to make regular connections to other parts of the curriculum in big and small ways. In lower elementary music classes (2nd/3rd year students) we are now making connections to the social studies curriculum in a big way with a focus on African music, specifically music selections from Ghana, West Africa. I have a personal connection to Ghana, as I spent a summer there studying music. In each music class, we have been engaging in singing, dancing, drumming, and gourd playing as if we were all there together! Kye Kye Kule (pronounced "chay chay koolay") is a favorite call and response song (much like our Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes), where children have the chance to sing solos and lead the group in movement and singing. In our drumming, we are practicing the ancient art of call/response, where students are using their creative ears to improvise short rhythm patterns. We are also singing a song about a foolish young girl named "Anowa" where we accompany ourselves on gourds dried and grown in Ghana. Another favorite song is the "Dayborn Song" where each child dances when their birth day is called: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. In Ghana, children are named for the day they were born, so we have all enjoyed learning what our Akan names would be if we lived there!

I hope your lower elementary students will feel confident in sharing some of these songs with you! It is a joy to immerse ourselves so joyfully and respectfully in this culture.  Meda ase pii! Translation: Thank you very much! (Twi dialect of the Akan people) 

Shannan L. Hibbard, Ph.D.
PK-8 Music Teacher, Four Corners Montessori Academy
 

Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday!

Katie Sime
Physical Education Teacher
Health Teacher

Cursive Handwriting: How Important Is It?​

"Cursive is not required by the national educational Common Core Standards. Many states across the country are removing or reducing cursive instruction from the curriculum while only a few states have deliberated and decided to keep it.

What's the best way to respond when parents ask why handwriting is a key component of the Montessori environment? Montessori discovered the importance of learning through movement and the senses. Research corroborates the vital hand/brain connection, proving that new pathways in the brain develop as children use their hands to explore and interact with the world. Of course it doesn't need to be an either/or decision: children can be computer literate and learn cursive."