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Points of Interest: The Children's House Blog Also visit our Social and Emotional Learning webpage! |
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Recommended Books, Podcasts, and Websites For more on the Montessori approach to learning, visit montessoriguide.org. To support Montessori learning at home, visit aidtolife.org. We recommend the Ask Lisa podcast for families with tweens and teens, the Good Inside with Dr. Becky podcast for families with younger children, and Raising Parents with Emily Oster, a show that tackles parenting questions with data, not trends. |
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Video Recordings |
2024-25 Learning Opportunities for Adults |
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Required for all parents and caregivers who are new to our school Montessori 101 with Michele Shane Join Michele Shane, Head of School, for an overview of the Montessori approach to learning and history of our school. This session is required for all new adults in our school community. RSVP below. Thank you. If you need childcare, please complete register and reserve childcare no later than Thursday, September 12, using the form below.
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For all parents and caregivers Coffee with Trisha Drop in for coffee with Trisha Short, MA, LPC, IMH-E (II), our Mental Health Consultant. As part of our commitment to social and emotional learning for our students, these conversations surround topics on the emotional well-being and mental health of children, parenting, and supporting your child and yourself. |
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For all parents and caregivers Lynn Lyons | Back-To-School Momentum: Prepping Children of All Ages for the Challenges (& Successes) of a New School Year We all benefit from knowing effective, active, and creative strategies to confront worry and anxiety. Families need clear direction on HOW to respond when anxiety or worry flares up. Parents are an instrumental part of the process and benefit greatly by collaborating directly with the school. Based on current research and years of clinical experience, learn a strategic approach based on skill-building, with emphasis on prevention that benefits students, their families, and educators. There is great opportunity to learn what works and what doesn’t. What are the mistakes we continue to make? How can we take advantage of a new school year’s positivity? What are the myths we need to bust, the paradigms we need to shift, and the skills we must build? This webinar is for parents and caregivers of grades 1–12. |
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For all parents and caregivers Montessori Up Close: How to Raise an Adult We hope for a large turnout for this discussion with our entire faculty! Make plans now to gather in the Barn to start with refreshments. Our faculty will facilitate small group discussions about the book How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims. Even if you haven’t read it, please join us! |
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For all parents and caregivers Coffee with Trisha Drop in for coffee with Trisha Short, MA, LPC, IMH-E (II), our Mental Health Consultant. As part of our commitment to social and emotional learning for our students, these conversations surround topics on the emotional well-being and mental health of children, parenting, and supporting your child and yourself. |
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For parents and caregivers of children ages 3 to 5 Montessori Up Close: Diving into the Primary Curriculum - the Happy Hour Edition! Come to get to know each other while learning more about your child's home away from home: How they go about their day learning, being curious, caring for themselves and their environment, and becoming more and more independent. You won’t want to miss this new social evening and interactive presentation by our Primary faculty! (Appetizers and beverages will be provided, but childcare will not.) |
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For parents and caregivers of children ages 0 to 3 Montessori Up Close: The Montessori Toddler A meaningful discussion with our Nido & YCC guides around the school life of toddlers and parenting. Parents are encouraged (but not required!) to read The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies before this discussion. Register and reserve childcare by Monday, Oct 21. |
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For all parents and caregivers Jennifer Wallace | Never Enough: When Achievement Pressure Becomes Toxic—And What We Can Do About It Join award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Wallace as she explores the roots of toxic achievement pressure and gives a practical framework for how parents, educators, and communities can fight back. This session is for caregivers and parents of school-aged children—primarily adolescents and teens—educators, school counselors, and school administrators. |
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For all parents and caregivers Coffee with Trisha Drop in for coffee with Trisha Short, MA, LPC, IMH-E (II), our Mental Health Consultant. As part of our commitment to social and emotional learning for our students, these conversations surround topics on the emotional well-being and mental health of children, parenting, and supporting your child and yourself. |
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For parents and caregivers of children ages 0 to 6 Montessori Up Close: Raising Confident Children with Alison Breithaupt Last year, we surveyed families about our parent-ed offerings. One question was: What outlets do you use for parenting information? Dr. Becky Kennedy came up as the top resource! So we started listening and agree with so many of you that she aligns with our Montessori philosophy. Join Alison Breithaupt, Early Childhood Program Coordinator, for a drop-in discussion on raising confident children. You may want to listen to Dr. Becky’s podcast on this topic. |
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For all parents and caregivers Coffee with Trisha Drop in for coffee with Trisha Short, MA, LPC, IMH-E (II), our Mental Health Consultant. As part of our commitment to social and emotional learning for our students, these conversations surround topics on the emotional well-being and mental health of children, parenting, and supporting your child and yourself. |
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For all parents and caregivers Coffee with Trisha Drop in for coffee with Trisha Short, MA, LPC, IMH-E (II), our Mental Health Consultant. As part of our commitment to social and emotional learning for our students, these conversations surround topics on the emotional well-being and mental health of children, parenting, and supporting your child and yourself. |
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For all parents and caregivers Phyllis L. Fagell | How to Raise Socially Skilled Tweens & Teens Who Can Navigate Friendship Challenges Tweens and teens need to feel a sense of belonging in order to take social and academic risks, manage social setbacks, cope with intense emotions, and make smart choices online and offline. Fagell will share practical ways to boost your child’s social skills, scaffold risk-taking at an age when they fear embarrassment, and help them find their place in the pack. While the strategies apply to all kids, she will concentrate most on kids in grades 3–10. |
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For 4th and 5th year students and their parents Tuesday, January 21, 2025 Current Junior High students and faculty will give presentations and answer questions about the curriculum and everyday life of Compass Montessori Junior High. |
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For parents and caregivers of current 3rd year students Montessori Up Close: Upper El Meet & Greet This opportunity is for parents and caregivers of rising 4th-year students to meet our Upper El guides, learn how the curriculum continues through 6th grade, and tour the Cedar and Maple classrooms. Register and reserve childcare by Monday, Jan 20. |
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For parents and caregivers of Upper El and Junior High students The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents By Lisa Damour, PhD Snacks will be served Join Trisha Short, Mental Health Consultant; Compass guides Tree Sturman, Kristina Weidenfeller, and Tori Craig; and Upper Elementary guides Karin Church and Jamie Schaub for a book discussion on “The Emotional Lives of Teenagers” by Lisa Damour, PhD. While reading the book is encouraged, diving into Lisa Damour’s website and listening to the Ask Lisa podcast are also great resources. Please show up even if you haven’t read the book! |
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For parents of current kindergartners Montessori Up Close: Cosmic Education Elementary school at The Children's House is different from the traditional model most parents experienced growing up. This presentation will explore the prepared environment of our lower elementary classrooms and how the curriculum moves from concrete materials to more abstract thought processes while supporting social and emotional learning. Register and reserve childcare by Monday, Jan 26. |
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For parents and caregivers of Primary students who are not yet in Kindergarten Montessori Up Close: The Kindergarten Year This opportunity dives deeper into Montessori and focuses on the capstone year of the Primary program. There will be time for Q&A and lots to learn about what it means to be a kindergartner at The Children's House. Register and reserve childcare by Monday, Jan 26. |
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For all parents and caregivers Hasan Merali | Squish the Peas: Life Lessons from Toddlers on How to Live a Happier, Healthier Life Wednesday, February 12, 2025 Toddlers hold the secrets to having more fun and living a fulfilling life. These are secrets we once knew and ones that a Harvard-trained physician can help us rediscover. Terrible twos, temper tantrums, and grocery store meltdowns are usually the first things that come to mind when people think of toddlers. But Merali has long thought toddlers are among the best people in our society and adults could do well to learn from them. Toddlers excel when it comes to kindness, laughter, play, teamwork, risk-taking, and so many other habits that could objectively improve our lives as adults if we were to act a bit more like them. Join us as we go through the important life lessons we can learn from our youngest teachers and leave with simple, actionable steps to improve the well-being of the entire family. This webinar is for those who parent students of all ages as well as all non-parents. |
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For all parents and caregivers Coffee with Trisha Drop in for coffee with Trisha Short, MA, LPC, IMH-E (II), our Mental Health Consultant. As part of our commitment to social and emotional learning for our students, these conversations surround topics on the emotional well-being and mental health of children, parenting, and supporting your child and yourself. |
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For parents and guardians of Upper El and Junior High students Human Growth and Development Curriculum for parents We will be hosting a parent meeting with Carrie Ullery-Smith for those interested in learning more about the human growth and development curriculum the students will be learning. A link to join us on Zoom will be emailed to parents. |
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For all parents and caregivers Ken Ginsburg | Raise Your Children & Adolescents to be Authentically Successful, Emotionally Healthy & Prepared to Thrive Parents are critically important in the lives of adolescents. The security of your love allows young people to launch successfully into an uncertain future. Your high expectations hold them accountable, keep them safe, and shape them to become their best selves. The best way to protect your child is to prepare them to manage life’s complexities while establishing clear boundaries. Open communication about emotional wellness and distress positions you to support them to be emotionally intelligent and navigate life’s curveballs. Modeling self-care and healthy stress management strategies teaches them to get through tough times. Listen to remind yourself how much you matter. If you have younger children, now is the time to invest in building wise, strong children who will thrive through adolescence and beyond. |
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For all parents and caregivers Coffee with Trisha Drop in for coffee with Trisha Short, MA, LPC, IMH-E (II), our Mental Health Consultant. As part of our commitment to social and emotional learning for our students, these conversations surround topics on the emotional well-being and mental health of children, parenting, and supporting your child and yourself. |
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For all parents and caregivers Michael Thompson | Planning for Summers of Growth & Joy For most parents, planning a summer for their children is a complex mix of their own work demands, requests to visit extended family, the ages, temperaments and interests of their children, pressure on children from sports coaches, and the goals parents have for summer family time. For children, summer is a time to grow and develop in new ways. Thompson will address the conflicting pressures on summer planning, while suggesting that goals for summer should include relief from the stress and anxiety of school, opportunities to make new friends in a different context, and chances to take (supervised) risks and master new skills. |
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For all parents and caregivers Coffee with Trisha Drop in for coffee with Trisha Short, MA, LPC, IMH-E (II), our Mental Health Consultant. As part of our commitment to social and emotional learning for our students, these conversations surround topics on the emotional well-being and mental health of children, parenting, and supporting your child and yourself. |
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For all parents and caregivers Coffee with Trisha Drop in for coffee with Trisha Short, MA, LPC, IMH-E (II), our Mental Health Consultant. As part of our commitment to social and emotional learning for our students, these conversations surround topics on the emotional well-being and mental health of children, parenting, and supporting your child and yourself. |
