Montessori Messenger | January 2024

m o n t e s s o r i

MESSENGER

Woodland Hill Montessori School

Volume 2 | Issue 4

J A N U A RY

Do you remember...

let's take a look back at December It feels like December was so long ago!

With only 13 school days in the month, we held two concerts, two performances of Moana, Jr., Woodland Hill's Annual Meeting of the School, Spelling Bee, and a Vintage Toy Painting event - that's just outside of the normal school day!

On the last day before Winter Recess, students from Primary to Middle School performed for their families and peers in the gymnasium. Students were able to watch the concert live in their classrooms thanks to our new live streaming camera and sound equipment from donations at the 2023 Soiree. Our school band rocked the stage as always, opening this year's evening concert while the voices shined from even our youngest children. A crowd favorite was the school's chamber ensemble's rendition of The Final Countdown featuring Lena Calabria on the drums. The evening concert was emceed by soon to be graduate, Arya D. and Calder P. who entertained the audience with his wonderful magic tricks!

The recordings are available to enjoy for years to come - check out the links below.

Primary Winter Concert Elementary-MS Winter Concert

On the afternoon of Wednesday, December 13 over 20 Upper Elementary and Middle School students participated in our annual Spelling Bee. Our champion, Ocean C., grade 5, is proceeding on to the regional bee.

After weeks of dedication to line memorization, stage blocking, and costume designing, the thespians of WHMS Theater Club performed two showings of Moana, Jr. While nerves were high backstage, the students gave their all to their performances, quick changes, and many movements on the stage! We are so proud of our cast and crew!

Watch the recording here!

On the evening of December 6, over 40 guests attended the State of the School address to hear from WHMS Administration about all that Woodland Hill has accomplished in the last year!

View the presentation here.

FLOCKart Vintage Toy Painting Event

Several Woodland Hill staff, students, and families attended the workshop hosted by FlockArt artist Jennifer Coleman. Attendees bought in their favorite toy to create beautiful paintings guided by Jennifer's direction and advice. Check out these beautiful works!

Middle School Happenings In recent math classes, students have mastered the art of solving linear equations of all types. Equation-solving is an important skill that sets the stage for so many upcoming mathematical challenges! To demonstrate their learning, students could choose from a variety of projects to complete. Many students chose to make a “Math Music Video” with lyrics that explained the topic; others chose to create explanation booklets, video tutorials, posters, or review games. From foundational concepts to more advanced problem-solving, the projects really showcased their algebraic proficiency.... as well as their creativity!

The Middle School also hosted their Winter Wonderland themed Coffee House on Friday, January 26. A new addition to this event was the opening of the Plantry - a plant shop full of a variety of house plants the students tended to and propagated themselves!

Students from the afterschool Kids Can Build group participated in the #kidscanbuild program event at Crossgates Mall. This project brings attention to food insecurity in our local area through the can building project while also collecting food for local pantries to be donated at the conclusion. The theme this year was power. The students created a water wheel and a light bulb.

Following the Middle School performance of The Crucible!

Thanks to donors of the Annual Fund, the Wolfpack is looking sharper than ever in their new jerseys! These shirts should last us for years to come - remember to return them at the end of the season!

Amina King

Amina left Woodland Hill in 2015 when her family moved to Maryland but her story comes back to WHMS through her most recent performance of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Amina had the opportunity to perform the same role of Ariel that she had staged in her last year in our Upper Elementary program! Read more about what Amina below.

What is a memorable moment you have from your Upper Elementary experience?

I remember playing Ariel when we did the Tempest in Andrew’s Upper Elementary class. I loved learning Shakespeare in Andrew’s class. It was always fun to go through the process of figuring out what Shakespeare meant. Looking back, I am surprised that we were even able to understand Shakespeare at all at that age! But I remember having a great time flying around as the spritely character. I got to create my own costume for the show in Andrew’s class, and I got to create my own costume for this show, too. I ended up using green in both performances! I even remembered a couple of my lines.

Do you keep in touch with anyone from your years on the Hill?

Yes, I kept in touch with Neshima Vitale Penniman. We met up for lunch when she visited me in New York last year.

How do you feel Woodland Hill has prepared you for the many journeys life takes us on? Woodland Hill gave me an impeccable imagination, which I think really shaped me as an artist. I have kept this sense of play that WHMS fostered in me as a child. In both my academic and acting classes, I have a passion for learning and exploration which makes me a stellar student (if I do say so myself). I have a deeper understanding of how the lessons I learn in school apply to life in general. I know the value of being imaginative, creative, curious, and playful, and I know that that is an important part of intelligence.

Do you have anything you’d like to share with students or families?

Gettting to play Ariel again was such a beautiful experience. It allowed me to unleash the child-like whimsy that I remember having at WHMS. I feel grateful for how much I was able to be myself at that age, and that I’m getting the opportunity to rediscover that again. I see myself as both an artist and a scientist, and I attribute a large part of that to my education at WHMS. I love seeing that passion for learning manifest in the person I am becoming.

Hear more about how our Alumni are doing and how their education at Woodland Hill prepared them for what's next in the recording of WHMS Outcomes: A Parent Panel

History of Black History Month

Also known as African American History Month, it originates from the United States. It is celebrated in February, along with Canada. But it is celebrated in October in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

In 1926 the second week of February was originally celebrated to coincide the birthday of Abraham Lincoln (12th) and Frederick Douglass (14th). First proposed in 1969 by Black educators and Black United Students at Kent State University, Black History Month was first celebrated in 1970. Black History Month was finally recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976, during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial. Today it is celebrated by many countries. A detailed background story of Black History Month can be found here

“There is no American history without African American history” – Sara Clarke Kaplan While we celebrate February as the designated month, we should aspire to teach and celebrate Black history year-round.

Resources:

Wikipedia, about Black History Month Smithsonian, events and media (podcasts, stories, and online archives) Association for the Study of African American Life and History about the 2024 theme, African Americans and the Arts

LOCAL EVENTS

Step Afrika Sunday, Feb. 04, Proctors “The company blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, African traditional dance and influences from a variety of other dance and art forms.

They integrate songs, storytelling, humor, and audience participation.”

Henry Johnson: Ballad of a Forgotten Hero Saturday, Mar. 09, at the REP (The Capital Repertory Theatre) Saturday, Feb. 10, Proctors Saturday, Feb. 17, at UPH (Universal Preservation Hall) Playwright Rachel Lynett, with historical and dramaturgical research by Skidmore professor Eunice Ferreira, brings Henry Johnson to life with text and music from the Jazz and Ragtime era and more.

Discover how the fight to recognize a real hero was finally won in 2015 when Henry Johnsonn received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama.

This production will also be coming to Woodland Hill in February with a production for our students.

Lunar New Year Assembly On Tuesday, January 23 Woodland Hill gathered in the gym for a Lunar New Year presentation by the Chinese Community Center of the Capitol Region. In partnership with the WHMS Diversity Committee and a former Woodland Hill parent, students watched a preview of the CCC's upcoming grand performance at the Egg. A team of volunteers shared the histroy of Lunar New Year, performed traditional fold dances, opera singing, a tai chi fan dance, and a dragon parade!

WHMS Community Outing: Chinese Community Center Lunar New Year Celebration The Egg, Sunday February 11, 2:30 PM This year’s 16 program show will include what is expected such as excellent Chinese Kungfu, elegant traditional Fan and Long Sleeve dances, upscale choir and a signature Tibetan dance. An elegant Peking Opera performer will also be joined in singing a duet with a classical Opera singer singing in Italian.

Modern instrumentals and hip hop dance will also be part of the show.

The Diversity Committee is organizing a WHMS group to attend this performance together! If you'd like to join in our group ticket purchase, please reach out to whmsdiversity@gmail.com to RSVP by Jan 24.

Funding is available to support ticket costs, if needed. Please reach out with any questions.