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1280 Simmons Avenue
Kirkwood, MO, 63122
United States

(314) 822-2601

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Filtering by Category: Community

We are VdM: The Schroeder Family

The very best part of Villa di Maria is our people. Our community of families, faculty and staff is something to be proud of. In this series, We are VdM, we’ll highlight the energies, talents, humor and wisdom of some of our amazing people. Today, we'll meet Faith, Tim and Ethan Schroeder. The Schroeders joined VdM last year, and Ethan is currently a second-year student in Ms. Sarah's Lower Elementary.

Villa di Maria: Tell us a bit about you and your family.

The Schroeders: It’s the old city-girl-meets-country-guy, fall in love, get married tale! Tim grew up in Perryville, MO and Faith is from Chicago. Each of us lived in many different places before we met and married, much later in life. Our faith is the focus of our lives and sparks our volunteering, serving and some of our traveling. We have two cats and Faith likes to rescue cats that she comes across, finding them new homes. Tim is our chief gardener with a large and prolific 3-season vegetable garden in our backyard. Our son Ethan is a study in contrasts: both autonomous and wants to be with people all the time, friendly and shy, leader and follower, active and bored, joyful and complaining, and always talking. Right now he is taking volleyball lessons, loves reading Calvin & Hobbes and Peanuts comics, playing video games, and as a family we are watching old episodes of Green Acres.

VdM: What do you and your spouse do, career-wise?

The Schroeders: Tim is a product design engineer at Husky Corporation where he improves fuel nozzles, and Faith is an art director in a local company’s marketing department.

VdM: How did you find Montessori and what brought you to VdM?

The Schroeders: When we were looking at daycares, we came across a Montessori daycare and really liked it. So from 3 months old, Ethan has been in a Montessori environment, continuing through daycare into preschool and kindergarten. We chose Villa di Maria for its commitment to the Montessori philosophy, the warm and caring staff, and its wonderful open space.

VdM: What is something your family plans to do this summer?

The Schroeders: We have been planning this summer’s vacation for a while! In July we are going to Orlando for a week and a half. First, we will attend our church’s international conference where we will be learning, worshipping, and getting to see a lot of friends. Afterwards, Faith’s side of the family will join us from Chicago for several days at Disney World. We have been there before when Ethan was much younger; this time he is looking forward to riding roller coasters with Tim, while Faith is hoping he will ride Haunted Mansion with her!

VdM - A question specifically for Ethan: What has been your favorite work in Lower Elementary so far?

The Schroeders: Ethan didn't want to answer this question when asked. But he talks a lot about his math lessons, how he is moving up in Table A, Table B, C, etc. And he takes pride in his cursive writing!

Thank you, Faith, Tim and Ethan for giving us a glimpse into your life and for being a part of the VdM community!Uncredited photos courtesy of the Schroeder family.

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categories Community

Women's History Month 2020 - Events for the Week of March 9

We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.Malala Yousafzai

March is Women's History Month in the United States—a time to celebrate the many contributions women have made in American History. The theme of this year's Women's History Month is "Valiant Women of the Vote," in honor of the work done by women in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries to ensure the ability of all women to vote.Throughout March we in St. Louis have many opportunities to learn about, celebrate and honor the many women who've played central roles in U.S. history with events at libraries, museums and other venues in our region. Check back here each Monday this month for a list of those events for the coming week.

Coming up this week, March 9 - 15

 

categories Community

We are VdM: The Davies Family

The very best part of Villa di Maria is our people. Our community of families, faculty and staff is something to be proud of. In this series, We are VdM, we’ll highlight the energies, talents, humor and wisdom of some of our amazing people. Today, we'll meet Heather, Trevor, Ella and Cade Davies. The Davies family joined VdM last year. Cade is currently a second-year student in Ms. Sarah's Lower Elementary and Ella is a fourth-year student in Upper Elementary.

Villa di Maria: Tell us a bit about you and your family.

Heather: We are an active family of four who enjoy hanging out together and exploring the St. Louis region for fun family activities. I grew up in northeastern Indiana, and moved here in 2002 for a job at Fontbonne University. Trevor grew up in Chesterfield, with frequent trips to Wales to see family in the U.K. We met several years after I moved to St. Louis, got married in 2008, and had Ella and Cade shortly thereafter. We live in Chesterfield with our two guinea pigs Zipper and Zeus.

VdM: How did you find Montessori and what brought you to VdM?

Heather: We did not know much about Montessori before we started searching for daycare for Ella when she was nearly two. Luckily, a friend suggested that we check out our local Montessori school and after one visit of watching children wholly engaged in their work in a very peaceful environment, we signed Ella up for their toddler program. She flourished, and when Cade was old enough, we enrolled him as well.

I work with Rebecca Callander’s husband Tim, who kept stopping by my office to tell me how happy Rebecca and Winston were at Villa. So, when we decided that it was time to find another school, Villa was our first (and ultimately only) stop. It was important to us that the school was AMI certified. After we visited the campus, talked with Laura, and discovered that other We Stories families were here, we knew it was going to be a great place for our kids. It took Ella and Cade a bit longer to be convinced, as after their first visit they were dismayed that there was no playground equipment. Now the open fields, woods, sledding hill and fort building are some of their very favorite things about Villa! We love that their total development is supported, the approach to learning, and how much the staff and other students care about them as people.

VdM: What do you and your spouse do, career-wise?

Heather: I am a professor of communication and chair of the Department of Humanities at Fontbonne, where I’ve been since 2002. I love teaching classes like message analysis, public speaking, argumentation, and persuasion. Every day I get to learn interesting things, talk with others about them, and also support a whole department of people who do the same thing—so I’ve been living my dream. Trevor is the CFO of the manufacturing firm that we co-own, GrassWorx. We make a variety of products, but the most recognizable is probably the green astrofurf doormat with the daisy in the corner!

VdM: Tell us about your typical weekend.

Heather: On a typical weekend, we try to find time for a little bit of work “caring for our environment” and also work to include some kind of fun adventure. Sometimes that includes short road trips—like to Clarksville, MO for Eagle Fest and to learn about the lock and dam system or playtime at O’Day Park in O’Fallon and then on to Washington, Missouri for super ice cream shakes at Main Street Creamery. We found Main Street Creamery last summer on our “Sweet Summer Ice Cream Adventure” where we visited a new ice cream shop every week and then made YouTube reviews based on criteria we find important in an ice cream shop. This winter we have enjoyed roller derby matches at Queeny Park, ice skating, local festivals, the Zoo and Fitz’s for dinner (more ice cream floats) and the monthly Home Depot building projects followed by lunch with friends. Ella and Cade are in their third year of training in Taekwando, so we try to make a session of that on the weekend as well.

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VdM - A question specifically for Ella and Cade: If you had to choose between living on the beach or living in the mountains, which would you choose and why?

Heather: Cade would choose to live on an island with a volcano so that he could enjoy both.  Ella would prefer living at the beach when the weather is cold in St. Louis, and then traveling to the mountains to learn to ski.  These  answers are pretty typical of Ella and Cade—they are “both/and” kids!

Thank you, Heather, Trevor, Ella and Cade. We are thrilled to have your family as part of ours.Photos courtesy of the Davies family.

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categories Community

Women's History Month 2020

There shall never be another season of silence until women have the same rights men have on this green earth.Susan B. Anthony

March is Women's History Month in the United States—a time to honor the many contributions women have made in American History. The theme of this year's Women's History Month is "Valiant Women of the Vote," in honor of the work done by women in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries to ensure the ability of all women to vote.Throughout March, we in St. Louis have many opportunities to learn about, honor and celebrate the many women who've played central roles in U.S. history with events at libraries, museums and other venues in our region. Check back here each Monday this month for a list of those events for the coming week.

Coming up this week, March 2 - 8

 

categories Community

Talking with Children About Scary Weather

Spring in Missouri, a time for crocuses, chickadees, wild flowers, frog songs... and terrible, loud, scary storms. For many children, the sights and sounds of a storm—or even the idea of a storm—can cause a lot of anxiety. Their imaginations are powerful and they might not be able to make the distinction between what could and what is actually happening. And if they've heard of or seen footage of a recent weather disaster, of which there are many in here in Missouri, their anxiety might be heightened.Here at Villa di Maria, we practice our severe weather protocols with the children a few times during the school year, in sync with the city's severe weather/tornado sirens. While they are necessary to ensure our safety, these drills can be tough for children who are especially prone to weather anxiety. So, what can we (and you) do to help ease the anxiety?

Rebrand it.

This is a small, but very effective, change: rebrand "tornado siren/drill," as "severe weather siren/drill." For many children (and adults), tornadoes are particularly frightening and conjure up very specific scary images from books, television and movies. Not all storms are tornadoes, so there's just no need to trigger that fear with every siren or drill.

Answer all of their questions. All of them.

If you know a child, any child, you know that children learn and process information through questioning. When it comes to easing the anxiety behind the questions, the very best thing we can do is answer them truthfully and with clarity. In the classroom, class discussions about weather events can be very helpful for children, not only because they have the opportunity to ask their questions but also because they can see that their worries are shared by some of their peers. At home, talk as a family about scary weather and, because children always have more questions than we grown-ups can readily answer, have some books or websites handy for reference.

Turn off the media coverage...

... or at least, keep your children away from it. As adults we might be able to reason through the shock factor that the media can bring, but children really cannot. Hard reasoning, without the influence of imagination, is just not something that has developed in children's minds. Media coverage of a potential or ongoing storm is likely to exacerbate their fears.

Prepare and practice (and do it on a nice day).

Nobody wants to give up a sunny weekend to think about storms, but carving out some time on a relaxing storm-free day, at a time when your child is not actively anxious, to talk to her about her weather anxiety can do wonders. Have her help you design your family's severe-weather plan. Ask for her input about what to include in an emergency kit—Flashlight, check! Blankets, check! A copy of her favorite book, check!Then, practice! Stay calm and focused just as you would during a real storm. Make sure to acknowledge what you're doing and answer her questions all along the way. And, while it might be tempting to call it off or turn it into a game if your child is getting upset, stick with the plan. Show her that there is a comforting end to the process. In the end, she'll have a greater sense of security because she was involved in the planning and she was able to get through something very scary.

Find the positives.

Last, but not least, help your child remember the positives of severe weather. It's important not to minimize your child's fears or pretend that storms aren't potentially destructive. But remembering that there are also some good things does help. Thunder and lightening are actually pretty cool—talk to your child about what's happening in the sky. And there will most certainly be puddles (puddles!) after a storm. 

categories Community

Black History Month 2020 - Events for the Week of February 24

I swear to the Lord I still can’t see why democracy means everybody but me.Langston Hughes

Each February we pay tribute to the generations of African Americans who've suffered, struggled and fought for the right to become citizens and to be treated humanely and fairly in the United States. This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the ratification of Fifteenth Amendment, which gave African American men the right to vote in 1870. While the right itself has at times not been enough to truly allow African Americans their voices, the ratification is a true and profound achievement.Throughout February, those of us in the St. Louis region have many opportunities to recognize, honor and celebrate the achievements of African Americans who've played central roles in U.S. history with events at libraries, museums and other venues. Below is a list of events for the final week in February.

Coming up this week, February 24 - 29

And finally, St. Louisans have access any time of the year to the following museums and historical places to learn more about African American History:

  

categories Community

Black History Month 2020 - Events for the Week of February 17

People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.James Baldwin

Each February we pay tribute to the generations of African Americans who've suffered, struggled and fought for the right to become citizens and to be treated humanely and fairly in the United States. This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the ratification of Fifteenth Amendment, which gave African American men the right to vote in 1870. While the right itself has at times not been enough to truly allow African Americans their voices, the ratification is a true and profound achievement.Throughout February, those of us in the St. Louis region have many opportunities to recognize, honor and celebrate the achievements of African Americans who've played central roles in U.S. history with events at libraries, museums and other venues. Check back here each Monday this month for a list of those events for the coming week.

Coming up this week, February 17 - 23

And finally, St. Louisans have access any time of the year to the following museums and historical places to learn more about African American History:

  

categories Community

Reducing Waste at VdM

As humans we have an impact on our world. Our actions and behaviors affect not only our own lives and spaces but the whole of nature, our planet. Let's be very honest here—it is not easy to stay mindful of the consequences of our choices; convenience and habit get in the way, and we are often tempted to take shortcuts and make decisions that save us time or extra work (I am thinking especially about the drink cups, straws, paper napkins, granola bar wrappers, plastic baggies and ketchup packets that pile up in our lives). But at Villa di Maria we are committed to making the effort, to evaluating our processes and making changes toward consciously lightening the load on our planet.And we are lucky because we have Sophie Andre, assistant in the Checkerboard Lower Elementary classroom, mother to a VdM student and advocate for the environment, on our team. Sophie keeps our staff, students and families motivated to reduce and recycle waste on campus as much as we can. She reminds us of the positive changes we've already made and inspires us to continue to find small (and big) ways to keep VdM focused on sustainability.As I mentioned above, Villa di Maria has a number of processes in place to reduce our environmental impact. Here's some of what we're doing:

General Campus:

  • We use real dishes, flatware and cloth napkins in all classrooms as well as late stay
  • Our garden provides vegetables for vegetable cutting and hot lunch as well as flowers for flower arranging and flower dissection
  • Our garden also contains two compost bins, fed daily by each classrooms compostable food waste
  • Single-stream recycling of paper and plastic

Children's Houses:

  • Replaced ziploc bags with reusable glass jars for children to take home their vegetable-cutting work
  • Replaced plastic bags with canvas bags for transporting extra clothes to and from home

Elementary:

  • Using reusable bags and containers for shopping during goings out and/or hot lunch shopping
  • Making cleaning supplies using vinegar, baking soda, essential oils and citrus peels

Celebrations and Events:

  • Eliminated plastic water bottles at all school events
  • Classrooms have moved toward eliminating disposable or single-use party-ware with reusable plates, cups and flatware
  • Using natural elements, found in nature and compostable, for seasonal and holiday decorations
  • Halloween costume swap

Many of the changes listed above are small, incremental even, but cumulatively, they make a large positive impact. We are not only producing less waste as a campus, we are modeling these practices for our students, and that makes us pretty proud.We have more work to do and, with Sophie's motivation, we will continue to work toward as-close-to-zero-waste as we can possibly get. Some of our goals include:

  • Replacing all plastic containers in the kitchen with glass ones, preferably second-hand
  • Using glass jars/containers for hot lunch and dish day cooks to take home their leftovers
  • Buying pantry items in bulk
  • Using more eco-friendly soaps and cleaning supplies throughout the campus
  • Regular seasonal clothing swaps
  • Using a Bokashi composter to compost almost all foods
  • Reducing paper consumption

And finally, we are enlisting the help of our families to come together to learn more about what they can do at our school and in their homes to reduce waste. This past fall Sophie hosted our first waste-free picnic and she'll be hosting another one this spring! And coming very soon, Sophie will take parents food shopping to show how she shops for groceries without any extra bags or containers.We'll be checking back in with Sophie and VdM's goals to reduce waste as this school year goes on. Stay tuned! 

categories Community

Black History Month 2020 - Events for the Week of February 10

Each person must live their life as a model for others.Rosa Parks

Each February we pay tribute to the generations of African Americans who've suffered, struggled and fought for the right to become citizens and to be treated humanely and fairly in the United States. This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the ratification of Fifteenth Amendment, which gave African American men the right to vote in 1870. While the right itself has at times not been enough to truly allow African Americans their voices, the ratification is a true and profound achievement.Throughout February, those of us in the St. Louis region have many opportunities to recognize, honor and celebrate the achievements of African Americans who've played central roles in U.S. history with events at libraries, museums and other venues. Check back here each Monday this month for a list of those events for the coming week.

Coming up this week, February 10 - 16

And finally, St. Louisans have access any time of the year to the following museums and historical places to learn more about African American History:

  

categories Community

Better Habits in 2020: Nutrition!

It's a new year and a new opportunity to check in with our family routines, to assess what is working and what might need a little work. In this series, Better Habits in 2020, we'll take a look at the kinds of things we can do to improve our and our children's lives. Today we'll focus on something that is a challenge for many busy families: nutrition!Webster's dictionary defines "nutrition" as... no, we're not really going down that road. But it is important to note that what defines "nutrition" might vary widely, depending on who's defining it. Fat, protein, carbohydrate and sugar contents in diets are debated in popular/social media, and individuals' different health situations can call for specific dietary regulations. For the purposes of this post, we're using recommendations from Harvard's School of Public Health and defining "nutrition" as a diet of foods that contain more essential nutrients like protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals and water and less added sugars, salts and processing chemicals.Sounds pretty easy... unless you're a real person with a real family. It is so easy to grab-and-go a processed dinner filled with extra sugar and salt. Too easy for those of us with busy lives. But the real truth is, when we continue to eat easy, fast, sugary, salty (delicious) foods, we continue to deprive our bodies of all of the nutrients they need.At every age, we need a balance of foods, with a variety of nutrients for our bodies and brains to function at their best. And as I mentioned in our first Better Habits post, children are doing even more than we are. Growing, learning, developing muscles, bones and organs. They are especially in need of good nutrition to fuel the non-stop work their bodies and brains are doing.Children's House Guide Jessie Braud explains it this way, "When I'm talking about nutrition, I always like a reminder of how we as adults feel when we aren't getting the nutrition we need. Sugary food, processed food, fatty food can affect us hard... adults will feel cranky, irritable, even nauseous as our bodies adjust to the fluctuations in blood sugar. So why would young children not feel the same? And to make matters even more challenging, they are still developing the self control that we have already acquired, and they are lacking the knowledge we possess about healthy eating. So when they are not eating well, it is an easy road to feeling out of control, towards misbehavior, to tantrums and crashes."

And to make matters even more challenging, they are still developing the self control that we have already acquired, and they are lacking the knowledge we possess about healthy eating. So when they are not eating well, it is an easy road to feeling out of control, towards misbehavior, to tantrums and crashes.Jessie Braud

It can be a challenge but it is not insurmountable. A good first step is to make it as easy as possible. "Our culture of convenience has made these processed foods extremely easy, so it can certainly feel like you are climbing an uphill battle," Jessie continues. "Opt for whole grains, real fruits and vegetables, and healthy protein in the easiest way for you so it becomes habit and second nature."Next, let children in on the food planning and preparing. Many many studies show that a key way to help ourselves eat better is to prepare our own meals. And that goes for children too! When children help with the shopping, the planning and the preparing, they tend to eat a wider variety of foods.

And maybe the most important thing we can do is... not give up. We need to just keep at the work of creating a habit for better food choices. As parents, we face an extra obstacle here, our children. They will not like every food we introduce to them, and they might not like any food we introduce to them the first time. But that doesn't mean they will never like those foods. Give them the chance to say no, the chance to change their minds and the chance to discover their true tastes.Jessie sums it up this way, "It is crucial to let our children experience and explore, to try and taste. And it's okay if they decline; it takes many, many tries for our taste buds to reorient, especially if it is something unfamiliar or particularly bitter, spicy, or strong. Lowering the pressure and opening the options, allowing children to help prepare and cook, encouraging them to experience and explore different tastes and textures... all of this will help guide your child towards understanding their own palate and their body's needs."For more ideas about how to cultivate good nutrition for yourself and your family, here's a list of sources for this post and other suggested reading:
categories Community

We are VdM: The Clarke Family

The very best part of Villa di Maria is our people. Our community of families, faculty and staff is something to be proud of. In this series, We are VdM, we’ll highlight the energies, talents, humor and wisdom of some of our amazing people. Today, we have a two-fer! We'll highlight a staff member and her family. Samantha Clarke is our Community Coordinator and her son Auggie started in the Children's House this year. Read on for more about Samantha, her husband Joey and Auggie.Villa di Maria: Tell us a bit about you and your family and what brought you to VdM.Samantha: Joey and I are both from St. Louis, from the other side of 270 in Chesterfield, and, in fact, went to the same high school (hello, Parkway Central). We hardly knew each other at the time but we reconnected later in life while he was living in Los Angeles and I in Aspen, CO. After importing Joey to Colorado, we spent a good year skiing and exploring all the mountains have to offer! The next thing we knew, we were moving home to St. Louis to focus on raising our 3 year old son, Auggie. We currently live in South City with our two perfectly insane dogs, Bacon and George.While a million months pregnant, I interviewed for a job at VdM and began working in July of 2017. I had some experience working in Montessori while finishing my graduate degree and knew it was a path I wanted my family go down!VdM: What do you and your spouse do, career-wise?Samantha: Obviously, I currently work at VdM and have always worked in schools or education based non-profits. Joey operates a soap manufacturing company in north St. Louis city, Derrick Soap. HOWEVER, he is hoping to switch gears soon to exclusively furthering his writing career. **Proud spouse alert!** After finishing undergrad at Wash U, he left for LA to fulfill his dream of being a screen writer which is a fairly competitive, difficult thing to do. After nearly a decade of relentless pursuit, he caught his "break" winning a fellowship through the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for an original screenplay he wrote, "Miles." Since then, he has acquired a manager and worked on several scripts, both original and adapted. We hope to see "Miles" in theaters (or somewhere) soon! Stay tuned...VdM: What is your favorite thing to do as a family on the weekend?Samantha:We LOVE sleeping in a bit and sitting around in PJs watching Premiere League soccer on Saturday mornings. We also enjoy eating ice cream at Clementine's and heading to the zoo whenever we can!VdM: A question specifically for Auggie: What's your favorite animal and why?Auggie: "mmmmm Bacon!" (It really is his favorite food, but also our dog. Not entirely sure which he is referring to!)Thank you, Clarke family, for the photos and for being a part of Villa di Maria!

categories Community

Black History Month 2020

The ballot is the only safety.Frederick Douglass

Each year in February we recognize, honor and celebrate the achievements of African Americans and pay tribute to the generations of African Americans who suffered, struggled and fought for the right to become citizens and to be treated humanely and fairly in the United States.This year we pay special tribute to the 150th anniversary of the ratification of Fifteenth Amendment, which gave African American men the right to vote (1870). While the right itself has at times not been enough to truly allow African Americans their voices, the ratification is a true and profound achievement that would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of Frederick Douglass.Throughout February, St. Louisans have many opportunities to honor and celebrate Frederick Douglass and many other African Americans who've played central roles in U.S. history with events at libraries, museums and other venues in our region. Check back here each Monday this month for a list of those events for the coming week.

Coming up this week, February 3 - 9

And finally, St. Louisans have access any time of the year to the following museums and historical places to learn more about African American History:

 

categories Community

Trivia Night - Behind the Scenes!

The Villa di Maria Trivia Night is coming soon! VdM friends and family will gather on February 29 for rounds of very challenging rounds of trivia and a silent auction to benefit the Fund for Villa di Maria.In the spirit of leap year, the theme of the evening will be "One Extra Day"—parents, staff and friends will dress up their tables and themselves to represent their ideal extra day. It could be sleeping, reading, going to the beach... the options are endless. And while we can't wait to see everyone's ideal extra day unfold on February 29, we are just as excited to watch as preparations for the event get underway.Our incredible team of parent volunteers, along with Community Coordinator Samantha Clarke, has been gathering in the elementary building to hash out the details of the event. The Villa Volunteers have been working hard to find the venue, come up with the trivia questions and solicit donations for the silent auction. Some of their children are also in attendance, having their own meeting over pizza and juice.Some of our students are also working hard behind the scenes. With the help of another parent volunteer, sound designer, producer and videographer Tim Gebauer, they've put together a video of questions and answers for the "Are You Smarter than a Montessori Child?" round on Trivia Night.I won't tell you what the questions are, but I will say Trivia Night participants should brush up on their geography, geometry, algebra and botany.If you'd like to know more about what's in store for the participants of Trivia Night, follow our instagram! On Mondays and Wednesdays, we'll drop hints about the questions and silent auction items.

And for those who can't make it to the event, there are other ways to participate. You can make a contribution to the fund any time through this webpage, or bid on silent auction items starting in February (we'll let you know when that opens up on our social media platforms).

Thank you, thank you, thank you to our parent volunteers, staff and students for working so hard to create a super-fun event and to support Villa di Maria.

categories Community

We are VdM: Upper Elementary Guide Katie Nelson

The very best part of Villa di Maria is our people. Our community of families, faculty and staff is something to be proud of. In this series, We are VdM, we’ll highlight the energies, talents, humor and wisdom of some of our amazing people. Today, we’ll feature Katie Nelson. Katie joined Ms. Rebecca as co-Guide in Upper Elementary at the start of this year. Katie is a St. Louis native and holds a Master's degree in secondary English education and an AMI diploma at the elementary level. She has served as a Guide at Campbell Montessori and City Garden. Katie brings kindness, playfulness and a happy energy to VdM. Welcome, Katie—we are thrilled to have you here!

Ms. Katie is nice and she understands her students; she gives us great lessons and describes them well. She is overall a great teacher; I am very glad to have her in the classroom.fourth-year Upper Elementary student (who very recently received a lesson on the semicolon)

Villa di Maria: How did you first find Montessori?Katie: After receiving my Master's in Education and having a disheartening student-teaching experience, my career took another path. While on that path, I met and worked with one of the sons of the head of school (also, uncle of Hank Yau), at Campbell Montessori. After one visit, I was hooked. I accepted the role of Assistant Guide at Campbell, and after my first school year there, began my Montessori training.VdM: What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?Katie: I enjoy spontaneous lunches, dinners, walks, or shows with friends. A great concert always makes for a lovely weekend!VdM: What was your favorite book as a child, and why?Katie: Oh gosh, favorite book??? “Favorites” questions are always tough for me....As a child, I loved reading so very much, it is difficult to come up with a favorite! I was always excited for book fairs and frequently had my nose in a book. One that stands out, as a very young reader, is Andy Bear. Andy was a polar bear cub who was raised at the zoo. I recall being so drawn to the story and felt attached, in a sense, to the bear cub. And the pictures of the baby bear were sooooooo adorable! That book stands out the most.VdM: When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?Katie: Gosh, as a child, and even as an adult, I think I’ve desired to be everything under the sun, at one point or another, from architect to NICU nurse to teacher! Wanting to be a teacher has been a constant, however, while other professional desires were more fleeting. My mother once told me, when I was in my 20s and going back to school once again, that she figured I’d be a student for life, because of my absolute love of and for learning. Teaching allows me that pleasure, and I think that’s what childhood me envisioned most consistently.VdM: What is your favorite quote/moment so far from/with one of your students?Katie: I was gathering three sixth-year gals for a lesson. One of them clearly did not seem pleased to be called for a lesson at that time, and begrudgingly joined us. I presented fraction division with the materials, and by the end of the lesson, the gals were all three giddily expressing how much fun the work was! They went so far as to abstract a difficult division problem without the material. I loved sharing that experience with them. There have been countless memorable quotes, phrases, and moments; I could go on and on!Katie brings kindness, playfulness and a happy energy to VdM. Welcome, Katie—we are thrilled to have you here!

categories Community, Upper Elementary

The Importance of Getting to School on Time (and Resources to Help Make it Happen)

Everyone is tardy sometimes. The occasional unexpected rough morning, spilled smoothie, flat tire or forgotten lunch box—these will happen to each of us. It's when those mornings go from occasional and unexpected to frequent and routine that tardiness becomes... well, a problem.It's easy to list the reasons punctuality is essential to the work- or school-day in general, but let's talk about why it is especially important in the Montessori classrooms.

The Environment

photo credit: Melinda SmithAt the end of each school day, our students, guides and assistants reset the classroom environments, cleaning and restoring for the next day. In the mornings, the environments welcome the children with calm and the sense of everything-in-its-place. For the youngest children, this feeds an inherent sense of order and puts them at ease. For all children, the organization of the space reduces stress and anxiety and facilitates motivation to work. Dozens of studies show the positive impacts of an orderly environment on people of all ages... but why am I bringing it up here? Because children can only reap the calming, motivating benefits of an orderly environment when they arrive in their classrooms on time. When they are on time, they enter the room in its renewed state, before the day has begun. They have the chance to take it all in and prepare for the day. They are set up for success.

The Community

Another benefit of arriving on time is the chance the children have to connect with the adults and other children in their environment. During the window of time dedicated to arrival, each child is met at the door by the guide with a handshake and a warm greeting. They have the chance to personally connect with an anecdote or silly joke. As they chat with the guide and with the other children arriving, they begin their day with the renewed sense of community.

The Three-Hour Work Cycle

One of the beautiful things that Montessori offers to children is a three-hour uninterrupted morning work cycle. In both the Children's House and the Elementary, the children have from the start of the work day, 8:30 a.m. to the start of lunch, 11:30 a.m. to explore their lessons, dive into their work without unscheduled interruptions. This affords them the opportunities to concentrate, to self-direct and to discover the depths of their own curiosity and intelligence. The three-hour work cycle is bedrock to their Montessori education. And when they arrive on time, they are able to take full advantage of it.So now that we've looked at all of the beautiful things that happen at the start of the work-day, and why they are so very important to the Montessori classroom, let's drive it on home...

The Dinner Party Analogy

You've likely heard this one if you've attended our orientation evenings, and some version of it is often used by Montessorians to describe the effect of coming in late to the classroom. It goes like this: imagine you've just shown up late to a dinner party. All your friends are seated and eating and in the middle of a good conversation. You still have to put your coat away before you can truly join the party. You're out of sync with your friends, out of sync with the party. It doesn't feel good.That feeling is what children experience when they arrive late to their classroom. They've missed out on the start of the day. That morning calm and order of the environment is not wholly available to them because other children have rolled out the rugs and taken the work off the shelves. The opportunity to start the day with a personal connection with the guide is gone because she is now giving lessons to other children. And the three-hour work cycle has begun; some of the time promised to the child in the Montessori classroom is now lost.

Solutions

In truth, this will be different for everyone. Each family has its own rhythm, its own strengths and weaknesses. But it is vital that the child's timely arrival in the classroom become a priority so that she has the opportunity to fully enjoy and succeed in the school day. Below is a list of fantastic resources to help make timely arrival a reality:

categories Community, Parenting

We are VdM: Sarah Moscicke

The very best part of Villa di Maria is our people. Our community of families, faculty and staff is something to be proud of. In this series, We are VdM, we’ll highlight the energies, talents, humor and wisdom of some of our amazing people. Today, we’ll meet Sarah Moscicke, guide in the Lower Elementary Racks & Tubes classroom. Sarah joined Villa di Maria at the beginning of this school year, having returned to her hometown of St. Louis after serving as an elementary guide for three years in Milwaukee. She holds a BA in communication and theater from Wheaton College, an AMI diploma at the elementary level and a MA in education from Loyola University Maryland. Sarah brings her background in theater and music to her dramatic storytelling and inspiring lessons in the classroom. She enjoys discovering each child's unique gifts and assisting them toward the development of their full potential.

Ms. Sarah is nice and she gives good lessons and challenging work (which I like!) I like it how she lets us have multiple turns doing a work, like each person gets a turn at the experiment.Third-year Racks & Tubes Lower Elementary student

Villa di Maria: How did you first find Montessori?Sarah: I never thought I wanted to be a teacher, until I discovered the Montessori approach. I stumbled upon Montessori because I needed a job and loved working with children. I worked for a year as an assistant in an elementary community and fell in love with the method. I took the elementary training the next year and have been teaching ever since.VdM: What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?Sarah: Sleep in, drink coffee in bed, and hang out with my husband and baby.VdM: What was your favorite book when you were a child... and why?Sarah: When I was a kid, I loved reading mystery series, like Nancy Drew or The Three Investigators, even though they would keep me up at night with fear.VdM: What did you want to be when you grew up?Sarah: One of the things I wanted to be when I grew up was a ballerina. I was infatuated with The Nutcracker and would put on my own performance in my living room.VdM: What is your favorite quote/moment so far from/with one of your students?Sarah: "I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but you look like Ms. Bro," from a first year in my classroom.
 Sarah brings calm, poise and warmth to Villa di Maria. Welcome, Sarah—we are so happy you’re here!Photo credit: Melinda Smith
categories Community, Lower Elementary

In Remembrance of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today we honor the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister and civil rights activist. With peaceful and nonviolent acts of civil disobedience, Dr. King exposed racism and unfair treatment of African Americans throughout the United States and fought for racial and economic equality. He inspired and led the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 until the day he was shot and killed in Memphis, TN—April 4, 1968.On the evening of April 4, Dr. King stepped out of his motel room and onto the balcony of the Lorraine Motel and was shot and killed by a sniper. He was 39 years old.

We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop … And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King was in Memphis to support the sanitation worker's strike. His final sermon was given the night before, on April 3, 1968 at Mason Temple in Memphis, TN. Below is a video of this sermon.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e49VEpWg61MThank you, Dr. King. Rest in peace.

categories Community

We are VdM: The Sennes

The very best part of Villa di Maria is our people. Our community of families, faculty and staff is something to be proud of. In this series, We are VdM, we’ll highlight the energies, talents, humor and wisdom of some of our amazing people. Today we’ll feature the Sennes: Jessica, Aaron, Arlo and Lydia, who joined the VdM community in 2018. 

Villa di Maria: Tell us a bit about you and your family.

Jessica Senne: Aaron is originally from Kansas City and I am originally from Springfield, Missouri, though we’ve been in St. Louis for over 15 years and both of our children have lived here their entire lives. Aaron and I met in interior design school at Mizzou and then moved to St. Louis to pursue graduate degrees in architecture at Washington University. We’ve lived here ever since and now reside in a mid-century modern neighborhood in Kirkwood. We really love our neighborhood and the Kirkwood area, and I suppose we’ve lived here long enough to now say we are from St. Louis! However, as everybody knows, if you didn’t go to high school in St. Louis, it’s hard to say you’re from St. Louis :).

Both of our kids went through preschool (age 5) at another Montessori school, which is how we were originally introduced to Montessori. As practicing designers, we feel Montessori really aligns with our experiences in studio-based education, which we feel from first-hand experience is the most effective way to learn.  After our son, Arlo, completed kindergarten and first grade at one of the public elementary schools in Kirkwood, we had a strong feeling that Montessori was the better fit for him. We felt he really thrived at his Montessori preschool and we felt he’d lost his fire for learning, so to speak, with his two years in a “traditional” classroom setting. Halfway through his first grade year we started looking for other options, and were delighted to find the area’s best Montessori elementary school practically in our back yard! It didn’t hurt that Aaron was part of the design team that designed the initial campus expansion schemes for Villa, so he was already a little familiar with the campus.  
 
This is now Arlo’s second year with Villa (he is a third-year student in Checkerboard), and his younger sister, Lydia, is in her culminating year in P3. We have all absolutely loved our experiences with Villa. Arlo is able to pursue his deep interest in history and geography with his self-guided projects in Checkerboard, and Lydia enjoys dabbling in a little bit of everything in P3.
 
VdM: What do you and your spouse do, career-wise?
 

Jessica: We are both licensed architects and own our own firm in Kirkwood, Studio Lark.  I am also an interior designer and spent many years teaching design to students of all ages, ranging from elementary school to university level. We welcome visitors to our studio in Kirkwood! We build lots of models, make lots of drawings, and have a library of interesting materials. We would love for Villa families to stop by if they have kids who are interested in architecture and design, or simply want to see our space!

VdM: What is your favorite activity to do as a family?

Jessica: We love to do all sorts of things as a family! During the weeks we like to take morning walks with our dog, Pearl. In the evenings we enjoy cooking and eating dinners together and watching movies or playing video games as a family after dinner. We also love to read and do puzzles together in the evenings. On the weekends you’ll find us taking long hikes and making pancakes (Aaron’s specialty!). And Santa brought us all new creative supplies for Christmas, so we’ve been drawing and painting a lot together lately. Oh, and Aaron, Arlo, Lydia and Pearl all love to go camping, and they drag me along semi-willingly. We also love going to the beach and try to get down to the 30A area in Florida once a year! 

 

VdM - A question specifically for Arlo & Lydia: If you wrote a book, what would it be about?

Arlo: The Big Book of Ancient Civilizations

Lydia: The Big Book of Alligators

Thank you, Jessica, Aaron, Arlo and Lydia. We are so glad to have you in the VdM community (and we can't wait to read those books!)

Family photos provided by the Sennes.

 

categories Community

Parent Talks at VdM

Several times during each school year, our Guides meet with parents for in-depth discussions of Montessori curriculum. These Parent Talks are great opportunities for our parents to come together and learn more about the work their children are doing at VdM every day. The events are often enriched with group work or hands-on experience with materials, and parents are free to ask questions and discuss their experiences. Each talk is focused on one aspect of the Montessori curriculum as it applies to a specific age or plane of development, and designed to demystify Montessori principles and give parents ideas for supporting and/or implementing those principles at home.The last round of Parent Talks happened just last Thursday evening. Read on for a peek into the evening and be sure to check out the resources and suggested reading at the bottom of this post for more information about the topics discussed at the Parent Talks.Parents of our youngest children (ages 2.5 and three) met with Guide Jessie Braud in the P2 Children's House for "Writing into Reading," a discussion of why writing comes before reading in the Montessori classroom, including an exploration of the early sensorial and language lessons that prepare children to learn to write and then read. The group also discussed language acquisition in children and how parents can best support the natural ways children learn.

Parents of children in their second year in the Children's House (ages 4 to 5) were invited to Guide Reghan McAuley's Parent Talk, "All Things Math!" Reghan discussed the progression of work with the math materials in the Children's House as children begin with a foundation of base numbers and grow into work with decimals and linear counting. Reghan presented a variety of math lessons, including every child's favorite, the Bank Game.

Children's House Guide Heather Steinman and Elementary Guide Megan Eilers joined forces for their talk, "Bridging into Elementary," for parents of children in their culminating year of the Children's House. They talked about what to expect as the child moves from primary into elementary and how Montessori curriculum is uniquely designed to support this transition. Heather and Megan presented several materials, such as the binomial cube, that cross over between the primary and elementary environments and how the lessons around these materials change to introduce new and expanded concepts.

The purpose of this talk is to help parents understand the similarities and differences between the primary and elementary years (or the first and second planes of development). We talk a lot about the different characteristics of the children during these stages and how the two environments are designed to support their needs. An overall theme that tends to emerge is that [Montessori offers] just the most amazing continuum for the children!Heather Steinman

Parents of elementary students were invited to discuss art, history and language in the Montessori elementary curriculum. Guides Sarah Moscicke and Rebecca Callander discussed how the elementary environment is designed to encourage exploration in these subjects and how they are interwoven for a broad and rounded education—a cosmic education. Parents also worked hands-on with clay, crafting pinch pots, while discussing specific topics such as spelling and how history is taught in the classroom.

We are so appreciative of our guides and our parents, who make these events and our community so strong. The next round of Parent Talks will be held on Thursday, March 26.

Resources and suggested reading:

Writing into Reading:

All Things Math!

Bridging Into Elementary

Elementary Curriculum

categories Community

We Are VdM: The Thralls

The very best part of Villa di Maria is our people. Our community of families, faculty and staff is something to be proud of. In this series, We are VdM, we’ll highlight the energies, talents, humor and wisdom of some of our amazing people. Today we’ll feature the Thralls: Danielle, Bryan, Maggie and Elizabeth who joined the VdM community in 2015. You have likely seen or talked to Danielle and Bryan as they have attended (and/or volunteered at) nearly all of our community events over the years. Maggie is now a third-year student in Ms. Megan's Checkerboard classroom and Elizabeth is a first-year in Ms. Sarah's Racks & Tubes classroom.

Villa di Maria: Tell us a bit about you and your family.  

Danielle Thrall: My name is Danielle. I am from St. Louis originally. I went to Lutheran South for high school (typical STL question) and Fontbonne University and received my degree in Early childhood education. Bryan and I met on a dating website 13 years ago. We went on our first date that lasted 5 hours and knew from that point on we would be together! Our family lives in Affton with our cat Sophie and fish Snowball.

Both Maggie and Elizabeth have taken swim classes since they were babies and are currently enrolled in gymnastics. Both girls love the family traditions we create such as doing what we are thankful for every night at dinner, putting up our holiday decorations together, having a cookie baking night, and this year we added a new tradition of placing wreaths at Jefferson Barracks Cemetery. Family is extremely important to us and we love to spending time together no matter what we are doing. 

VdM: What do you and your spouse do, career-wise?

Danielle: My first job was working at Truman Elementary in the Lindbergh district; it was there that my passion for Special Education began. I decided to become a paraprofessional and went back to school to get my Masters in Special Education. Currently I work at Crestwood Elementary as a K-5 Cross Categorical teacher. I work with students on the Autism spectrum, students with intellectual disabilities, students who have Cerebral Palsy, students with emotional disturbance, and those that utilize communication devices. Though my job is trying, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my students and what they have taught me through the last 10 years. 

My husband Bryan is from Roseburg, Oregon, where his family still resides. He came to St. Louis to attend Washington University where he received his bachelors and masters degree in Computer Science. He currently works at World Wide Technology developing software.  

VdM: How did you find Montessori and what brought you to VdM?

Danielle: My college courses at Fontbonne introduced me to Montessori, and we wanted our children to have the hands-on learning and important life skills that Montessori teaches. We came to VdM because I happened to be driving by the school and researched it online, took a tour and felt right at home.

VdM: What has been your favorite family vacation?

Danielle: We can’t decide on just one. We had an amazing vacation at Disney World and Vero Beach, Florida with my extended family and Bryan’s mom a couple years ago (19 people in total, to be exact). It was Maggie and Elizabeth’s first time to Disney and the ocean. We also spent a great week in Tucson, Arizona with Bryan’s mom, sister and her family when Maggie was about 2.5 and Elizabeth was 3 months old. We were able to go to the desert museum and swim in the pool.

VdM: A question specifically for Maggie & Elizabeth: If you joined the circus, what would your circus act be and why?

Maggie: I would walk the tightrope because it would be fun.

Elizabeth: I would be an elephant rider because it would be fun.

Thank you, Danielle, Bryan, Maggie and Elizabeth. We are grateful to have you in the VdM community!

Family photos provided by the Thralls.

 

categories Community