Thank you to all our dear fathers who visited their child's classroom and joined them in working with materials from our shelves.
It was a pleasure to have you sit in our circle and share the special snack with you!

​The International Social was held on Saturday, January 21st. This event was to celebrate all of our diverse heritages, cultures, and customs. It was an immensely successful event made possible by our very generous school community. Thank you to all the parents who took the time to prepare a special craft and those who danced, sang and drummed. Our food buffet was overflowing with delicious food from every continent. The children enjoyed an opportunity to be with their classmates and the parents enjoyed seeing the many friendships that have been formed. Please scroll down to see the pictures from this special event.

In honor of First Thanksgiving, our little and not so little friends, have been working hard to make everything ready for our feast. First Thanksgiving was however only a simple gathering. Following the Mayflower’s arrival at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620, the Pilgrims suffered the loss of 46 of their original 102 colonists. With the help of 91 Native American Indians, the remaining Pilgrims survived the bitter winter and yielded a bountiful harvest in 1621. In celebration, a traditional English harvest festival, lasting three days brought the Pilgrims and natives to unite in a “thanksgiving” observance.
This “thanksgiving” meal would not be celebrated again until June of 1676. On June 29th, the community of Charlestown, Massachusetts proclaimed a day of thanksgiving for their good fortune. Ironically, this celebration excluded the Native Americans, as the colonists’ recognized their recent victory over the “heathen natives.” One hundred years later, in October of 1777, all 13 colonies participated in a one-time “thanksgiving” celebration which commemorated the patriotic victory over the British at Saratoga. It would take a span of over 150 more years to establish Thanksgiving as we celebrate it -- George Washington proclaimed it a National holiday in 1789, Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November in 1863, and Congress sanctioned it as a legal holiday in 1941.

We are grateful that we have a holiday where we can celebrate with each other and humbly reflect upon all the gifts that saturate our lives. We are thankful for all our friends and families here at the Unitarian Montessori School!

On Septemeber 21st, students and teachers gathered in our Meditation Garden to celebrate International Day of Peace. With our quiet meditation and singing voices, we sent kind thoughts and wishes for the world peace. May peace prevail on Earth!

As we are getting ready for the new school year, our classrooms have been transforming. Shelves, tables and chairs have been rearranged and new materials have arrived. Our staff has been working diligently to ensure a great new beginning for everyone.
Our Extended care friends will be enjoying a new peace area (please see picture below). Peace area is an essential part of the Montessori classroom and children will use it to solve problems, work on their self-regulation or just explore enticing work materials that promote mindfulness and peace education.
We were also lucky enough to receive some new pets, which everyone may look at as they walk down the hallway. They are called African dwarf clawed frogs and enjoy swimming in their tank.
We wish everyone a wonderful year at UMS!

Farm animals visit Unitarian Montessori School!

Happy Easter!

We wish you a prosperous Year of the Monkey! Thank you to all the parents who have so wonderfully organized this special event at our school!