// Week of Sept. 24: Curriculum Update //

It’s been a week of welcome in the Silver Room!

On Monday, we welcome two new community members: young Ava, who is new to HPMS and Montessori, but who has some friends and cousins already at the school, and Ms. Carmen, our new assistant teacher! Ms. Carmen is also new to HPMS, but she has some friends at the school already, and she comes to us via Small World Montessori School in Fort Lee. We’re so glad they’re here!

Speaking of new and old friends, the children all got to meet their specials class teachers this week— Mr. Hassan for Early Childhood Spanish, Ms. Solange for Kindergarten Spanish, Mr. Colin for EC Movement and K P.E., Mr. Sebastian for EC & K Music,  Ms. Kyoung for K Art (Ms. Kyoung also prepares art projects for the EC students, but these are integrated into the classroom art experiences).  K Literacy groups have begun meeting with Ms. Tiffany and Ms. Lynn, and Ms. Michele kicked off Kindergarten Writers’ Workshop as well.

Our Book-of-the-Week this week is Strictly No Elephants, by Lisa Mantchev and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo. This picture book seems at first to be  a gently silly story about the challenges of pet elephant ownership, but turns out not to be very silly at all. With simple text and warm illustrations, it carefully articulates the problems of exclusion and the gifts of inclusion. It also reminds us all that when things feel unfair, we can actively work to make things right — for everyone.