School = Friends

"Good friends help you find important things when you have lost them--Your smile, your hope and your courage."    --Doe Zantamata

There is only one important reason to go to school--friends!

Making friends is usually easy. Keeping friends is a bit harder!

It takes cooperation,

teamwork,

turn taking,

responsibility,

careful observation, and

communication

as well as sharing tools, 

toys, and space.

Grace and courtesy begin with greetings

and following directions.

It is being helpful,

thoughtful,

peaceful, kind,

and part of a group.

In the Montessori classroom we are practicing our good manners and social skills. We are learning civility by respecting ourselves, our classmates, our work and our world. In guidance, the Lunchers are discussing feelings and learning how to "cool down" and problem solve so they can share and care at school. They recently read When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang and discussed how to recognize strong feelings. I-Statements and Echo-listening are good tools for expressing your feelings and recognizing how others are feeling--life skills for sure!

"Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them but you know they're always there."