Julia's Garden Newsletter ?: Baby Chicks, New Faces and Places for Staff Members, Last Week to turn in books for Book Drive, Fall Tuition Reminder, Foreign Languages, Lower Elementary Program and more!

Dear Garden Families,

In the Garden 👒
What amazing weather we have been having!  Everyday seems to be the perfect day to be outside playing, having a picnic, enjoying the wildflowers or — enjoying baby chicks!  Last week, each house was able to experience petting so gently a baby chick during Outside Time.  It was the sweetest thing to see our children take such great care in handling these small animals. Soon, Chocolate, Leafy, Sweetie Pie and Butter Dot will return to campus permanently and join their big sisters in the triangle coop.  When they are big enough, they will be released into the run and Julia’s Garden will have a total of 10 chickens in the coop. Welcome, little flock!

In the Classroom 🗂
The Main House has been working on reading and writing skills, and the Full Day children have proudly completed their world maps. The Main House has also been taking full advantage of all that Springtime offers by starting their days with outside play, then returning at noon to dine al fresco on the Pavilion.  This week, the YCC has turned a developmental corner and the whole class is experiencing toilet success.  They delight in their accomplishments, cheering with pride. We are so happy for them and their progress!

Casa’s work has been focused on the solar system and Ms. Elisabeth recently introduced the numerical rods. The older children have greatly enjoyed the lesson and practice it daily. New songs about Springtime were learned this month and the children listened to Vivaldi's “Spring” during Circle last week while closing their eyes, pointing out the instruments they heard.  What a delightful way to celebrate the changing of seasons!

Staffing Changes 👩🏻‍🏫
Next Fall, Ms. Elisabeth will be heading up our afternoon program for non-napping children in the Casetta, Extended Day Clubhouse.  We are grateful for her leadership and know she will do a fantastic job getting this much-needed program off the ground.  With her absorbed in this role, a new guide will be leading Casa next Fall.  We are happy to welcome Ms. Danielle Kimball from the Post Oak School in Houston, Texas to our team!  Danielle, who will be both living on campus with her family and leading Casa for the Fall 2018/Spring 2019 school year, has 10 years experience leading an AMI primary classroom.  She will be assisted by Louise Mackay, who has been working at Julia’s Garden in the Hay House this year.  We are very much looking forward to what Danielle and her expertise will bring to our community and Ms. Louise is looking forward to teaching in a 3-6 environment, where her formal training lies.  For those of you enrolled Summer School, you will get to know Danielle as a Summer guide in the coming months.  More information about Danielle and her role at Julia’s Garden is coming soon, stay tuned!

In the Main House, we have another change in staffing for Fall: Ms. Lindsay will not be returning to Julia’s Garden after May.  This Summer, Lindsay will be an official graduate with a Master’s Degree and License in Social Work from San Marcos Texas State.  She has accepted a job where she will help develop a garden curriculum for adolescents with eating disorders starting in June.  She attributes her inspiration to do this work to her experiences at Julia’s Garden where she discovered the importance of connecting children to the earth.  We are proud of Lindsay, and although we will all miss her very much, we wish her the best in the next chapter of her life and career.  Thank you, Ms. Lindsay, for all of your hard work and love.  We will always hold a place in our heart for you here at Julia’s Garden.

Book Drive - Last Week to Donate, and to WIN!📚
The last week of the Book Drive is upon us!  If you have not yet signed up to donate it is not too late to make a contribution.  There are still plenty of beautiful books to choose from and the lists on the fences are up-to-date so you can easily find an available title that appeals. If you order from Amazon on Monday (World Book Day!) or Tuesday, you will still have time to enjoy them at home before turning them in on the 30th.  Don’t forget to include your child’s name inside the cover as well as the year they first enrolled at Julia’s Garden so we can always remember who the gift was from.  We are excited about the growing number of books for our new library and can’t wait to announce the contest winner!

Lower Elementary Program at Julia’s Garden 🏫
Looking ahead to Fall 2019, we are excited to inform everyone on our progress thus far with the Lower Elementary Program.  The program will serve 15 - 18 children, ages 6 - 9, in a low ratio, Montessori-inspired on-campus classroom.  The program we are implementing follows the Curriculum for Excellence, a system that began in Scotland in 2010 and has been highly successful in educating children ages 3 - 15 years. It is organic in structure, process and project-oriented, with an emphasis on foreign languages, music education, nature-based learning and sustainability.  The curriculum incorporates traditional school materials with a Montessori approach, making it the perfect place for our graduating primary children to land.  Be on the lookout for an enrollment packet, as well as an announcement about an information session, that will help you learn more about what the program includes.  In the meantime, you can read more about CFE at the link below:

https://beta.gov.scot/policies/schools/school-curriculum/

Spanish & Mandarin in the Garden 🇨🇳🇲🇽
Everyone has had such a fun time learning Mandarin from Ms. Siu Gi and Spanish from Ms. Courtney that we decided to include both languages in the Casa and Main House curriculum next year!  Starting Fall 2018, Spanish and Mandarin will be offered as part of your primary child’s weekly morning program and daily Spanish classes are included in our Lower Elementary program.  Expansion from 0-6, practice from 6-12 and refinement from 12-18 in regards to foreign language is a large part of the CFE mission and one of the reasons we choose this curriculum to serve our elementary-aged children.  Julia’s Garden is strongly committed to incorporating foreign language as a base element in all of our communities and will continue to improve and expand in this sector over the next 3 years.

Upcoming Dates and Reminders 🎗
April 25th - Indie’s Birthday (forgot to include it in the last newsletter!)
April 26th - Fall 2018 Tuition and Paperwork Due
April 30th - Last Day to turn in books for the Book Drive
May 1st    - Book Drive Ends
May 24th -  Last Day of School! 12:00 Community-Wide Singalong & Pot Luck Lunch, Early Dismissal for all houses at 1:30 PM

I hope everyone enjoys these candid pics from our Spring Days!  See you all Monday 😎

Katherine Parlette
Founder, Director
Julia's Garden Montessori 🌸
(512) 790-4094
juliasgarden@me.com
www.juliasgardenmontessori.com

“I did not invent a method of education.  I simply gave some little children a chance to live.” - Maria Montessori

Look at these busy bees!  Main House Full Day children proudly complete their world maps during afternoon lessons.

Bodhi helps prepare morning snack and snags a sample on his way to join his friends; later, Aiden and Max collaborate on dish washing while Aspen delights in sorting work.

Chris works on writing and Max, the trinomial cube. Lana and Fiona find themselves and friends in their class picture.  Ezra refines motor skills using a pencil and finishes up his metal inset booklet.

The chickadees are here!  Max, Ruairidh, Aiden and all of the Main House children had a chance to “pet” these little gals.  

Playtime is all the time in Spring!
The wildflowers that the children in Casa planted last Fall have come up!  Ants-on-a-log making for snack time above and we see Ella being honored in a traditional Montessori Birthday Circle.  Happy 4th Birthday, Ella! 

Peek a boo!  Juno and Violet say “hi" and Ethan focuses on bubble blowing. All of the children from the Hay House, YCC and Casa come together on the playground in a great community moment above.

Felix, Ethan and James collaborate on building a block tower in front of their newly crafted Teepee Hut.  Later, Max has his turn to pet Butter Dot and so does Ms. Elisabeth! 

Potty party!  The children in the YCC love rockin’ undies and rockin’ out! Beau is tickled beyond words at seeing the baby chicks and Indie gently pats a feathered friend.  The Hay House & YCC children were outside anxiously awaiting their arrival!

From chicken little to chicken big: Preston helps to feed mealworms to our gaggle of hens while Varenna questions the chance meeting.  Hunt and Indie help water the garden and the Hay House children lend a hand to Oscar, collaborating on bubble work.

An impromptu Springtime picnic at the Hay House - we must enjoy this time and the opportunities the weather presents!  Elijah helps to feed the chickens and Liam makes sure they get their grub; Senna bonds with Butterscotch on a nature exploration hunt during Outside Time.

Elijah picks a poppy and enjoys a ride with Violet on the teeter-totter. Liam swings into action and Orion practices scrubbing the door during outside time.  Jane takes a break, enjoying the sounds of Spring.

Jane explores the Spring-theme inside the Glue Box and Orion chooses watercolor work. Penelope watches with interest as her friend, Sloane, rolls scones for Snack.  Liam cuts apples and, later, Penelope gets her own turn baking on the block.

Beads, sewing, sorting - this group has got it down!  Sloane and Liam expertly work with their handmade sewing cards while Kai and the crew string a seemingly endless supply of bead necklaces during the Work Period.