Why Church?

It was Founders Day at The Woods Academy on Friday, January 24.  The Lunchers joined the graders to celebrate 39 wonderful Woods years with a school Mass in the gym.  During Mass a Luncher asked, "Why do we do church?"

The short answer is that we "do" church every day all day: praising God, thanking him for our many blessings, praying for ourselves and others, asking for the help we need, and practicing kindness and caring.

We also gather as a community to celebrate our faith.  Attending Mass helps us grow stronger in our faith as we pray, sing hymns, and listen to lessons from the Bible to help us learn how to love God and one another.

In Montessori, we call this "filling a bucket."

"Bucket filling is like magic. When you fill a bucket by being kind and loving, your bucket fills up, too."

"Your bucket holds all the love and happiness that you receive each day."

Sometimes you fill a bucket concentrating to do your best work.

Sometimes you fill a bucket focusing to finish work you have chosen.

Sometimes you fill a bucket trying new work.

Sometimes you fill a bucket sharing creative ideas.

Sometimes you fill a bucket trying something hard--and finding out you can do it!

Sometimes you fill a bucket teaching and learning.

"Every day I will bless you; I will praise your name forever."  Psalms 145:2

In February, all three Montessori classes will be reading Fill a Bucket and Have You Filled a Bucket Today by Carol McCloud.  We will also be reading books about friendship as we celebrate Valentine's Day. When you are a friend--a bucket filler--you make the world a better place!

Update from Kenya:  Mrs. Zaiser sent the following note: Montessori- You sent enough backpacks to give every student in the Maasai school KEST sponsors a backpack!  There were 78 students in the school- pre-school, baby class, and pre-unit plus 20 in class one.  They have never seen something as magnificent as a backpack and cherished them.  Wait until you see the photos!  And the crayons and colored pencils put them over the top!

**Looks like we are already filling buckets across the world! Thanks again to all our Montessori families for encouraging our philanthropy. The children were delighted to see pictures of the Maasai children wearing backpacks we sent. Now we will be working closer to home to become more thoughtful and kind at home and at school.