OPEN HOUSE: Sunday, Jan. 31st, 2010

You are invited to visit Mountain Laurel Montessori School!

OPEN HOUSE
January 31st, 2010
1:00-3:30

Both campuses welcome your visit.


Farm School
(grades 7-9)
23 Sunny Slope Lane
Flint Hill, VA

Front Royal Campus (toddler - elementary)
155 Biggs Dr
Front Royal, VA 22630

Call (540) 675-1011 for more information

Students and Sheep Star in Shepherd's Play

Two Farm School students acted in The Shepherd's Play in December. The Shepherd's Play is a local tradition in Washington, Virginia ("Little Washington"). One of the sheep had a surprise cameo as well!

In a Word: Synonym for Whine

Each Wednesday afternoon, the Farm School students are given a word as they leave school. They go home and write a creative composition using that word. Thursday morning at tea / snack time, they read their composition to the group. The exercise has very few boundaries. It might be poetry, prose, a story, a fable, a dialogue, etc. The given word may be a common word, such as "fire," or it may be a new vocabulary word requiring research before use. This week, the challenge was to use a synonym for the word "whine." Every so often we will share one example of the "In a Word" series.

Synonym for Whine:

Sit by the trees, where the leaves have blown.

Sit by the trees, and listen to them moan.

Sit by the trees, and enjoy a plum.

Sit by the trees, like a lazy bum.

Sit by the trees, and watch the stars.

Sit by the trees, and ignore the cars.

Sit by the trees, and sleep, sleep away.

Michael, 8th year student

Hoophouse for the Hungry

Montessori Farm School students will be able to grow food for those who need it most during the winter months.

Thanks to a generous donation from a Rappahannock citizen, Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School is working with Plant-A-Row for the Hungry and the Rappahannock Food Bank to move a 70 foot long hoophouse to the Farm School.

The students will grow cold-hardy vegetables during the winter months. These will be donated to the Food Pantry so those in need will have access to fresh produce year-round. They will also be able to start vegetable plants in the spring that will help Food Bank patrons grow their own gardens.

Pictured here, the students take the first step - measuring the dimensions of the greenhouse in order to plan for the space and order new plastic covering.

Invitation to Hear Farm School Alumni Speak 1/12/10

Is there life after Montessori?

Have you ever wondered what it is like to make the transition to high school after graduating from the Farm School?

Would you like to know if Farm School students feel prepared for the academic and/or social experiences of high school?

Join us as Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School alumni speak at the Parent Night on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010. Event will take place at the Front Royal Campus at 6:30 pm. Public is welcome. Call for directions (540) 636-4257.

Abundance of Eggs in Winter!

While we are bundling up against the cold, our chickens don't seem to know it is winter. They haven't slowed egg production one bit.

We are enjoying the wide range of egg sizes and colors, as you'll see here in these photos. Many of our brown eggs are so large we can't close the cartons!

Students hold a silkie (our smallest breed) and a Jersey Giant (our largest breed)

Students sell the eggs at local Farmer's Markets as part of the Microconomy curriculum. They learn to track revenue and expenses, and make decisions about running the farm based on these numbers.

The students learn about economics through hands-on, experiential learning every day at the Farm School.

In a Word: Humble

Each Wednesday afternoon, the Farm School students are given a word as they leave school. They go home and write a creative composition using that word. Thursday morning at tea / snack time, they read their composition to the group. The exercise has very few boundaries. It might be poetry, prose, a story, a fable, a dialogue, etc. The given word may be a common word, such as "fire," or it may be a new vocabulary word requiring research before use. Often the words are an extension of something happening in the school community. Every so often we will share one example of the "In a Word" series.

HUMBLE

Out in the dips and tips of many valleys, there was a mountain, covered in a wonderful blanket of snow. It shone past all the other mountains and had out-grown them by far. And below this blue mountain was a large valley, breathing in the cold snow that was covering it. It shone past all the other valleys and had out-grown them by far. And tucked beneath this valley was a humble cottage, smoke billowing out from its little brick chimney. It's old wood grain; deterioriating from the harsh winds that blow down from the mountain and clean-sweep the valley. And tucked under a blanket next to the fire, sitting in a little chair, sits an old man, breathing in the winter air.

-Ursula, 9th year student

Battletown Inn to Serve our Sausage!

200 Year Old Fine Dining Establishment Now Serving Farm School Sausage!

You will soon see sage sausage from Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School on the menu at the Battletown Inn in Berryville, VA. For more information, check out the following: http://www.thebattletowninn.com/