2024 Newsletter Term 02 | Issue 02 – Farmhouse Montessori School

Dear Farmhouse Montessori Families,

Reconciliation Week

Being National Reconciliation Week (NRW) we have been focusing on shared histories and to explore how we can contribute to reconciliation in Australia. The theme this year is “Now more than Ever” highlighting the need to walk together in this journey towards positive change to celebrate First Nations voice and create a brighter future for the next generation. We thank Educator Jo Buckley, our Reconciliation Leader, for her support with Children’s Ground and for initiating meaningful activities throughout the week.

Farmhouse Cocktail Party and Twilight Art Gallery

Please join us for the upcoming Farmhouse Cocktail Party and Twilight Art Gallery at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 31st. The event will be held at the Preschool campus in North Balgowlah, and there will be opportunities to enjoy the gallery and purchase your child’s artwork as part of a whole-school fundraising event. If you are not able to attend, you may still view and purchase your child’s artwork as artworks will be on display at school the following week.

New Manly Campus Tours

If you are interested in touring our new primary campus at North Head Sanctuary, you can take a sneak peek next week before we officially open.

Sneak Peek Tours:

Date: Wednesday, June 5^th, 2024
Times: 8:30 am – 9:30 am & 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Address: Building 5, North Head Sanctuary, 33 North Head Scenic Drive, Manly NSW 2095.

Please RSVP by emailing Suzanne pa@farmhousemontessori.nsw.edu.au or you can sign up for a tour online via the school website when we open later in June.

Montessori Professional Development Day

This is a reminder that the school will be closed on Friday, June 7th (both campuses), during the staff professional development day before the long weekend. This particular professional development day is a regional training day for Montessori staff from Sydney and the regional NSW. International Montessori trainers will be traveling to the event, focusing on best practices for your children. This event promises to be an enriching and valuable experience for educators and leaders.

Owna

A reminder to our preschool families that we will begin using Owna starting in June to sign in and out your child each day. Please check your emails for further details. Staff will be available to support you as you sign in for the first time.

Kind regards,

Alia James | Principal

Dear Farmhouse Montessori Families,

Movement and sports are fundamental components of Montessori education, contributing significantly to the development of well-rounded, healthy, and confident individuals. By integrating physical activity into the daily routine and offering diverse sports opportunities, Montessori schools nurture children’s natural inclination for physical activity.

This term we were able to foster this through a new sports program designed to introduce children to a variety of sports experiences in a fun, engaging, and developmentally appropriate manner. The program by Ready Steady Go is a term-long sports curriculum where each week, children explore a different sport. This initiative aligns with the Montessori philosophy of experiential learning, promoting physical activity that is beneficial for coordination, teamwork, and a love for active play.

Each week this term, children have the opportunity to engage in a new sport, guided by experienced coaches who are skilled at working with young children. In addition to engaging in the sport, children have opportunities to practice personal and social skills such as interacting respectfully and keeping safe during the activities. Currently this program is run by Coach Nick on Monday and Friday afternoons. The sporting activities that part of this program are Badminton, Athletics, Rugby, TBall, Soccer, Basketball, Hockey, AFL, Cricket and Golf.

Montessori schools in Sydney organise a combined sports carnival each year where a series of sports and track events are held. The focus of the Montesporty Athletics Carnival is to create sporting experiences for children which are non-competitive in nature and encourage a sense of community. This term our kindergarten children on the preschool campus participated in the combined carnival with the children from our primary campus.

Kind regards,

Harshitha Ravikumar | Deputy Principal

Ever since your little ones learned to walk, they’ve been on the move. With a desire to explore the world around them, they constantly seek out opportunities to run, climb, hop, and just about anything else that allows them to be active. It’s no surprise that parents of toddlers often find themselves exhausted from trying to keep up with their energetic child.

Since the beginning of the term, during outdoor playtime, children have numerous options to engage in physical activities. Whether they’re sliding, running, jumping, swinging on monkey bars, balancing on beams, dancing, throwing balls or carrying heavy objects, there’s no shortage of ways for them to stay active and move their bodies.

Gross motor movement helps children strengthen their muscles, improve coordination, and enhances their spatial awareness.

— Corinne, Anniebelle, Nina, Sarah.

Creative Arts

Creative Arts in The Montessori Program of 3 to 6 encompasses a diverse range of expressive forms such as painting, drawing, music, dance and drama.

These mediums offer avenues for self-expression, imagination and skill development helping children to extend their language, gross motor and fine motor.

Creative expression helps children to articulate their feelings and thoughts. They think critically about their world and practice visual communication.

Creative Art projects can foster a child’s natural imagination and also helps them develop other essential life skills that will stay with them for years.

— Teresa, Katherine and Yuko.

Fostering Independence and Belonging

A fundamental aspect of the Montessori approach is fostering independence and a sense of belonging in our children. This term, we’ve immersed our new students in practical life activities, giving them ample opportunities to explore and discover tasks that are integral to their daily lives.

These tasks not only teach practical skills but also bring in a strong sense of responsibility and self-reliance. When such activities become collaborative, it enhances their sense of belonging, making them feel part of the classroom community.

—Harshitha, Catalina, Jo, Rachel & Claire.

Recently we took part in the Simultaneous Reading Day, an Australian initiative to promote the value and fun of books, reading and community engagement. This is also an opportunity to help the children understand the difference between a hard backed book and a paperback book; what an author, an illustrator and the publisher do.

The story Bower Bird Blues inspired children to create their own Bower Bird nests, collecting sticks and blue items. We watched a National Geographic video of a Bower bird and some children chose to paint or colour in a picture, to refine their fine motor skills. Others set off with binoculars and guide books for some bird watching.

The children in Amaroo use books every day both fiction and non-fiction they are an incredible resource to provoke discussion, investigation and creativity.

– Dawn

Greetings from Aikya!

Moving to Building 5

Our big move to Building Five within the North Head Sanctuary continues progressing! The transition is steady thanks to our children’s incredible teamwork and participation. Every child has played a role in everything from packing down the old classroom to moving items up the hill to the new classroom. This hands-on experience made the move smoother and fostered a sense of ownership and community among the students.

Portrait Work for Fundraising

Art has been at the heart of our activities these past two weeks as we prepare for our upcoming fundraising event. The children have been engrossed in portrait work, learning various techniques and exploring the styles of famous artists such as Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh. Seeing their creativity flourish as they experiment with different mediums and express themselves through art has been wonderful. These portraits will be showcased and sold at the event, with proceeds going towards enhancing our classroom resources.

Combined Montessori Sports Carnival

We had a fantastic day at the Combined Montessori Sports Carnival! The children displayed excellent sportsmanship and camaraderie, participating in various activities, from sack races to relay runs. This event was a wonderful opportunity for them to exercise physically, develop teamwork skills, and connect with peers from other Montessori schools. The joy and laughter shared during the carnival were truly heartwarming.

Sydney Writers’ Festival Excursion

Our 3rd year children had the privilege of joining the Cycle 3 students on an excursion to the Sydney Writers’ Festival in Parramatta. This trip was a remarkable experience, allowing them to immerse themselves in the world of literature, meet authors, and participate in engaging workshops. It was inspiring for the children to witness writers’ creativity and passion and explore the power of storytelling. They returned with renewed enthusiasm for reading and writing.

Montessori Philosophy in Action

Throughout all these activities, the core principles of the Montessori philosophy have been evident. The children’s active involvement in our move, their self-directed learning in art, the cooperative spirit at the sports carnival, and the intellectual curiosity sparked by the writers’ festival all highlight the holistic development fostered in our Cycle 2 classroom. We are dedicated to nurturing their independence, creativity, and love of learning in every aspect of their education.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our community.

Warmest regards,

— The Aikya Teachers and Children.

In the past two weeks, the children in Yani have been doing lots of interesting activities. One special morning, the mums came to the classroom to spend time with the children. The kids were happy to show their moms the work they had been doing. They proudly showed their projects and art. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a nice morning tea together. It was a wonderful opportunity for the mums to interact with the teachers and see the classroom environment first hand.

Another highlight was our trip to the Sydney Writer’s Festival, which was an incredibly inspirational experience for the children. They had the chance to learn from different authors about essential parts of storytelling, like making characters and why villains are important in a story. This was especially helpful for the children who are learning to write their own stories. The children were really excited when they could buy books and get them signed by the authors. It was a special event that fueled their passion for reading and writing.

Back in the classroom, we continued learning about the lives of the Neanderthals. The children did a variety of activities to help them understand and think carefully. By learning about how Neanderthals lived, the children could relate past human experiences to their own lives. This exploration has been stimulating for them to learn from and has also been interesting, helping them learn new skills that will help them in various areas of learning.

—Laura, Thomas, Ella & Amy Louise.

Primary Campus

As we’ve been waiting to move to our new and improved music space (very excited BTW!) this term we’ve been using our pitched percussion (xylophone’s) to make some music in class.

Everything from 70’s Chicago to 90’s Rave/Pop and of course the modern classic ‘Seven Nation Army’ it’s been fun to try and play along as a class. Our new space is going to make our music classes even better!

Mixed Ensemble

Yani-Rock band has been doing a great job of ‘Apache’ by the Shadows and more recently ‘Come Together’ by the Beatles.

Aikya Band has had a couple new members join, and playing Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick In The Wall’. They certainly have been singing the lyrics with vigour!

We can’t wait to host our ensembles in the new band room too!

Preschool Campus

This term we have introduced the glockenspiel, a German word meaning bell and play!
We are learning about the musical alphabet, how many letters or notes there are in it, what a scale is and sounds like and have been playing along on the glocks to our musical alphabet song.

We can also play along to Row Your Boat and have been learning The Canoe Song, which is an old paddling song or sea shanty that most everyone loves, though there was one student who thought it was a bit creepy ;)From:

Ben – Primary Campus
Angie – Preschool Campus

May	31st	Art Exhibition & Cocktail Evening – Preschool campus (whole school event)
Jun	7th	Staff Professional Development – Combined Montessori PD-Pupil Free Day
June	10th	Kings Birthday – Public Holiday
Jun	20th	Preschool Parent Information
July	5th	Aikya and Yani Expo
July	5th	Last Day of Term

July	22nd	Staff Development Day – Whole School – Pupil free
July	23rd	First Day of Term 3

Farmhouse News

2024 Newsletter Term 02 | Issue 02

Upcoming events & Important Dates

Principal’s Message

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

ELOUERA | Stage 1 Infant Community

BURBANGANA | Stage 1

COOINDA | Stage 1

AMAROO | OUTDOOR CLASSROOM

AIKYA | Stage 2

YANI | Stage 3

EVERGREEN | Music

Recent News

2024 Newsletter Term 02 | Issue 01

2024 Newsletter Term 02 | Issue 03