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Celebrating the International Day of Peace with our Dual Language Community

Celebrating the International Day of Peace with our Dual Language Community

On September 21, 2023 children and staff at Greenspring Montessori School celebrated the International Day of Peace. Established in 1981 by a unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.

“Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child.”

– Dr. Maria Montessori

Together we celebrate the International Day of Peace, or el Día Internacional de la Paz as we refer to it in our Spanish Dual Language classes. Children joined together to celebrate this special day with music and wishes for peace. They sang songs including “Paz Como Río/Peace Like a River” and “Paz y Libertad/Peace and Liberty”. Our Toddler, Children’s House, and Lower Elementary classrooms made peace doves and pinwheels that they displayed on a parade around campus. Lower Elementary students also reflected about the meaning of peace. Enjoy photos of this special day below.

As Dr. Montessori so eloquently wrote, “…an education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking.” Needless to say, this undertaking requires an unwavering commitment to children and their development into their full potential and self-understanding. Thank you to each and every one of you for your deep dedication to our children, our families, each other, and our school community – and to the creation of a better world. YOU are making the world a better place!

Outdoor Learning at Echo Hill Outdoor School

Outdoor Learning at Echo Hill Outdoor School

During the first week of school, our Upper Elementary students ventured to Echo Hill Outdoor School for a three-day outdoor learning experience. Echo Hill is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with 242 acres of forests, meadows, and freshwater shrub swamp bordering a mile of sandy beach on the Chesapeake Bay. This trip was a great opportunity for the Upper Elementary students to live close to nature and learn about our environment and our place within the natural world. The students enjoyed learning about many interesting topics like swamp biology, how to experience the environment through all our senses, wilderness survival, and bay biology.

The students worked on a small fishing boat and experienced firsthand the living creatures of the Chester River. They discussed the ecological value of an estuary like the bay. Groups collected aquatic animals including freshwater eel, blue crabs, and fish which they had a chance to touch. Students learned the local history of bay communities, the environmental challenges fishermen are now facing, and so much more.

The trip also provided ample opportunities for community building as well. Students and adults learned to depend on one another and live in close quarters without devices. They worked together during the day to complete a ropes course and enjoyed many team-building activities. The students came home tired and happy.

Outdoor learning is an important element of Montessori education and a major focus at Greenspring Montessori School. The students’ retreat at the start of the school year is a key part of their study of nature and the interconnectedness of all living things. This is one of two major outdoor trips for our Upper Elementary students – the second will be a culminating trip in the spring. In alignment with this focus on the natural world, our students will be focusing a portion of their time at school on agriculture and ecology. They go for regular hikes in the local forests, conduct field experiments, and learn from naturalists in the area. On campus, the students will have many exciting projects this year to build vegetable gardens and start a community agriculture program.

Sharing your Culture and Traditions

Sharing your Culture and Traditions

At Greenspring Montessori School, we welcome and celebrate people of diverse backgrounds, histories, perspectives, identities, cultures, religions, and races. Our learning environment is strengthened and enriched through a community that reflects the nuances and beauty of an intricate and complex world.

Welcoming Statement

Our children, families, staff, and community come from a rich variety of backgrounds. We love to invite everyone in our community into the classrooms to speak about holidays and traditions that are important to you. In the 2022-23 school year, our families and staff graciously volunteered their time to present about holidays including Rosh Hashanah, Hanal Pixan, Diwali, Veterans Day, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Lunar New Year, Black History Month, Passover, Vaisakhi, Shavuot, and Memorial Day. In addition, several classrooms hosted visitors to share about their cultures. Our children love these opportunities to see windows into the cultures of others as well as great pride in sharing and seeing their own cultures and traditions in the classrooms.

Take a look at photographs from our classroom celebrations and presentations from last school year. We are looking forward to continuing and expanding upon these traditions for the 2023-24 school year.

How to get involved

We invite you to please let us know about your child’s own cultural background and the holidays they celebrate. To do so, please log in to the Parent Portal, click on your child’s name, and look for the fields related to culture and holidays. Please also reach out to us at learn@greenspringmontessori.org if you would be interested in giving a presentation to our children on your traditions and celebrations.

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Lower Elementary Campfire

Lower Elementary Campfire

Our Lower Elementary students and families celebrated the end of a spectacular school year with our annual campfire! Mr. John led the children in skits, songs, and jokes that were the hit of the evening. Thank you to our Lower Elementary team for making this event possible!