montessori MESSENGER
Woodland Hill Montessori School
Lantern Walk
On Thursday, November 7, Woodland Hill Montessori School hosted its cherished Lantern Walk, a simple yet profound celebration of light and community during the darkening days of autumn. This year's event saw an overwhelming turnout, emphasising the importance of togetherness.
The evening began with the uplifting rhythms of the African drumming group, whose beats welcomed attendees and set a joyful tone for the event. Sarah Ward, with the help of her children, ensured the amphitheater fires roared safely, creating a warm and inviting space for everyone to gather. Meanwhile, Kate Stanke of the WHMS Green Team hand-tied over 50 macrame lantern holders, allowing students to decorate their own reusable lanterns — a beautiful reminder of sustainability and creativity.
The walk through the woods, illuminated by handmade lanterns, culminated in the amphitheater, where Nicole Porter-Davis led the community in heartfelt folk songs. The glowing lanterns, the laughter of children, and the harmony of voices blended to create an evening of shared gratitude and connection.
Michelle shared in her reflections, “Immersing yourself in a community of care is not a distraction from reality but rather a reminder of our strengths and the agency we have to make the world a better place.” The Lantern Walk wasn’t just about light; it was about hope.
This timeless event once again reminded us of the resilience of community and the role we all play in shaping a compassionate, understanding, and connected world.
Photo Credit: Jen Gifford
The Kids Can Bulid extracurricular ran a Bake sale during the event which raised $244 to purchase cans for their sculpture to support the Shalom Food Pantry. The competition will be held at Crossgates Mall on Monday, December 9.
Fostering a Repair Culture
By Megan Stasi
Our culture is dominated by planned obsolescence. When things break, we tend to throw them away. Less and less of us know how to fix things. The Repair Club aims to fix that! This Fall, thirteen Woodland Hill 4th - 8th graders had the opportunity to take the Repair Club elective, one of several initiatives WHMS is doing as part of a larger “Fix Forward” grant we received from the organization Culture of Repair in conjunction with the Robert C.Parker School. In the Club, students learn the importance of sustainability and the idea of a circular economy, which extends the life span of objects by reusing them and recycling them.
Repairing things is important because it helps our world become more sustainable; it is also a way to preserve items that are meaningful or sentimental to us that might be damaged. In this way, we are cultivating a culture of repair at WHMS. The students quickly became the facilitators of the club: they designed flyers and intake forms, advertised their services, gathered broken objects from around the school and tried to fix them. All of these activities work to
create a repair mindset in the students, one which aligns with Woodland Hill’s core values of community and sustainability as well as project-based, and child-centered learning. As the innovative resource Cultivating a Repair Mindset suggests, “A repair mindset enables and emboldens people to care more deeply about the world, the people, the objects, and the systems in which we’re all interconnected.”
Repair Club students also had the opportunity to build their repair skills by learning from a number of volunteer repair coaches from the community. Ted Riese is good at fixing electronics; in our class, he opened up a chromebook, showing students how to identify and find replacement parts to repair it. Kris Ivers is a member of the Troy Bike Rescue; he helped students use their senses to troubleshoot broken bicycles before introducing them to the tools and materials to do simple fixes. Jesse Roberts showed students how to operate a drill press and shared basic wood building skills. He brought in the pieces to construct a “Fix-It Cart” that will be stocked with tools and supplies that all students at the school will be able to use for on the spot repairs.
In addition to the Repair Club, WHMS has also hosted several Repair Cafés, and created the Rensselaer Repair Cafe in collaboration with the Parker School. Repair Cafés are free community meeting places. Community members bring broken items from their homes—clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles—and volunteers with repair skills fix them. These Cafes are part of an international organization. Founded by Martine Postma in Amsterdam in 2009, it
is now a worldwide movement with pop-up repair cafes in many countries across the world. The Capital Region itself has 8 local repair cafes and there are nearly 70 in the greater Hudson Valley from Westchester County to Lake George. Hosting these Repair Cafes in K-8 schools is a great way to bring together older more experienced repairers and younger generations to cultivate a shared repair culture.
The “Fix-It Cart” Jesse helped the Rensselaer Repair Club construct is also part of the grant from the Culture of Repair. These carts will be equipped with child-friendly, age-appropriate tools and materials organized to meet the needs of children and function in a school setting. We will combine plans for the carts with tailored lesson plans, creating an environment for children to develop their interests, skills, and confidence as they become the repair champions of the next generation.
On Saturday, November 2, Woodland Hill Montessori School hosted the Rensselaer Repair Café in partnership with the Robert C. Parker School. Students from the Repair Elective participated by shadowing skilled Repair Coaches, learning hands-on techniques to fix various items while promoting sustainability. This event highlighted WHMS’s dedication to fostering a culture of repair and community collaboration.
Over 20 families joined Fidel in the gymnasium for an evening of prayer, stories and songs. With a focus on rhythm and sound, we experienced whole-brain somatic healing while we laughed together and shared our hopes for the future. The theme of the evening was that children are close to the Earth’s creator and are our motivation for a better world.
This Thanksgiving season, our Upper Elementary and Middle School students embodied the spirit of gratitude and giving. UE students donated a meal to the South End Children’s Cafe, sharing care and warmth with local families, while MS students volunteered at Branson Manor to make a meaningful impact.
We're so proud of their compassion and dedication!
Thank you to all the Library Volunteers! Because of you the library remained open in the interim while we searched for a new librarian. Stories were read, books continued to be checked in and out and shelved, and bookmarks printed. More than one volunteer commented on the peace and quiet the library brings. Many of them may now be considering a career change….
Library Volunteers:
Alexandra Collins
Anne McGrath
Arielle Wolinksy
Bobbie Marchand
Chantel Fiedler
Guinevere Noakes
Jocelyn Brownell
Kate Stahnke
Lyndsey Atwater
Mallory Massry
Mariah Senecal
Marina Angelicola-Richardson
Nanda O’Leary
Nina Yutesler
Sarah Beth Eisinger
Sue Stokes
Tony Mosher
Vicki Dillon
The Scholastic Book Fair visited us from November 13 – 14. As the carts arrived the week before, students eyes began to twinkle with excitement. Many new books were discovered and wish lists fulfilled. Thank you to all the volunteers who made the fair possible!
Book Fair Volunteers:
A special thank you to Vicki Dillon for her daily oversight of the fair.
Alexandra Collins
Alyce D’Alberto
Angela Stokes
Ashley Bennett
Aubrey Ohanian
Chantel Fiedler
Elizabeth Wieland
Jocelyn Brownell
Kara Bouschor
Lauren Coehn
Mariah Senecal
Nanda O’Leary
Robyn Morrison
Sarah Beth Eisinger
Scott Clementson
Stephanie Smith
Sue Stokes
If you do not see your name, your name is misspelled, omitted, or listed in the wrong category, please accept our apologies, and notify Nicholle Gregor, ngregor@woodlandhill.org
FUDGETASTIC FUDGERAISER!
Helping Hands successfully pulled off their first project, a Fudgeraiser to raise money for their upcoming projects. Thanks to the generous support from the WHMS community, 77 boxes were sold. The hard work and long nights gained them rave reviews…
“The fudge they made was the best fudge I’ve ever had, and our whole family agrees.”
“…the fudge is delicious! What an amazing and special project.”
” Wow the fudge is delicious...I’m picky and don’t even like regular chocolate!”
“I don’t even like vanilla, and I could eat the whole box.”
“Fudge is delicious and so nicely packed.”
“Not only is the fudge delicious but the packaging, note, and all the special touches are amazing; it’s hard to believe this was done by students.”
Up Next…
This week helping Hands will start their second project, their “Festive Outfit Share, Swap and Shop”. Look out for the opening on Wednesday 12/4. Through this project the students are hoping to spread some seasonal cheer by accepting festive children’s clothing donations to share with WHMS community members. There are three ways to participate:
1.SHARE- drop off festive children’s clothing that your family can no longer use, so other children might enjoy a new-to-you outfit
2. SWAP- drop off something festive and choose something new-to-you
3. SHOP- Don’t worry if you don’t have anything to share, choose something new-to-you that you can pass along to someone else in the future.
Please ensure that items being shared have been washed and don’t have stains or require mending. This is a self-serve project so stop by the back lobby anytime from Wednesday 12/4-Friday 12/20. At the end of this project the remaining items will be either stored for future project use or donated.
Helping Hands is a free club that runs throughout the school year. If you are interested in learning more about the club, our upcoming projects, or wish to find out about having your student join please reach out to Lisa Holland at HelpingHandsWHMS@gmail.com or 518-527-4172
WHMS FUND
accessible while providing the extra resources that enhance our students' learning experiences.
As of December 2, we’re thrilled to share that we’ve raised $23,730! Thank you to all the families who have contributed so far—your generosity makes a meaningful impact!
