DOBSON MONTESSORI SCHOOL NEWS

March 30-April 3

 WHAT IS MONTESSORI?

         “Teach children to care for themselves and others; independence then becomes kindness in action.” – Maria Montessori

KINDERGARTEN

          In April, our students are “Caring for the Earth”. Students will learn about the five oceans and seven continents. We will make a model of the earth using playdough to represent the layers.   Using shrink plastic and beads, we will make a necklace to represent the seven continents. Why are animals and plants able to live on earth but not other planets in our solar system? Our children will make a flip book to understand how earth supports life. We will read the book Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers, and then fingerpaint a picture of earth and label its continents. How can we all be responsible stewards of our mother earth? We will discover ways even children can help during this month of ecological exploration.

PRIMARY

         We conclude our “Astronomy” unit on Monday with a field trip to the MCC planetarium. We can welcome another driver, if you can help please email us this weekend. Students will make constellation finders so we can continue our investigation of the stars in the future. Our new unit for April is “Westward Ho”. We are investigating the history of the US during the 1800’s and the westward expansion. Why did people move west? We will make a timeline to understand major events during this period in history. 

INTERMEDIATE

         Our “STEM” students conclude our STEM focus with an immersive field trip to the Arizona Science Lab on Monday. This full day workshop will teach concepts of solar energy. Students will design their own solar powered car and then race them! Taught by retired scientists and engineers, this is always an engaging experience for our students! Everyone needs to bring a sack lunch with beverage and a water bottle. We can welcome another chaperone; please email dobsonmontessori@aol.com if you can drive. “Africa” is our new unit for April. Students will choose an African country and create a poster showing what they learn during their month of research. See the attached details. We start by learning about the many countries that make up the continent of Africa by using the Montessori map materials. Even though the cultures may be different than ours, children everywhere enjoy playing outdoor games. We will learn to play Bokwele, a traditional African children’s game. Mancala is another fun strategy game that was played using seeds and small holes in the ground…no Internet required! We will introduce a mancala set from Ghana for our students to use this month. Swahili is a language spoken in many African countries. We will learn some Swahili words and create a Swahili dictionary illustrated with colored pencils. What country will you choose for your month-long investigation? 

UPPER DIVISION

         Our “Practical Life” unit featured a four-day trip to San Diego planned by our students! Everyone had a great time and managed their money efficiently as they enjoyed all the activities. They will write about their trip and enter photos into their scrapbooks this week. Everyone is caring for their “potato baby” this week. Students must take it everywhere for seven days. A potato baby is a ten-pound bag of potatoes with a raw egg taped to the top as a head. Be careful not to bump your baby on the door! We are learning to be responsible and focused! Our new unit for April is “Shakespeare”. This year’s play is “Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Students will memorize a scene and audition for parts this week. Everyone will have speaking lines in the play. We have just until Monday April 6 to memorize our parts so that we have ample time to create characters, blocking, acting abilities, sets, costuming, stage combat and more. Mark your calendars! There will be two shows at 7 PM on Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2. Tickets will go on sale April 20. Limited seating!

HIGH SCHOOL

         High school students continue work on personal narrative writing in English. This week, we will audition for “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, our Shakespeare play for this year! Everyone will receive a role and have until Monday, April 6 to memorize all their lines. Once everyone is “off book”, we begin the real work of acting the parts. Mark your calendars! There will be two shows at 7 PM on Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2. Tickets will go on sale April 20. Limited seating! In addition to working on the play, students continue lessons in Astronomy, Marine Science, foreign language, mathematics, and government. This week’s government lessons ask students to research forms of government in foreign countries and write about the roles of government in past and current historical periods. 

PLEASE MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A CHILD’S LIFE

         Many families cannot afford the tuition to send their child to private kindergarten and ESA does not cover a full day kindergarten program. Because of the scholarships offered through STO’s, these children can enjoy the quality education your student is provided at Dobson Montessori School but only if families make a tax credit donation to support these children. It costs you nothing. You receive the amount you donate back dollar for dollar on your state income tax. Please take a few minutes to visit www.seefaz.org and donate now. Married couples can donate up to $3062 and single filers can donate up to $1535. Thank you! 

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES SIGN UP NOW

         Time to sign up for parent-teacher conferences. Sign up books are in the office so stop by and select a convenient time. If you have more than one child, please sign up for a separate time for each child. The Stanford 10 scores are back, and we are so excited to share the results with you! Once again, our students topped the tests! 

APRIL BREAK

         No school on Friday, April 3.

SUPER SUMMER 2026

         “Lego Lunatics” kicks off our summer workshops for students this summer. Sign up now for this fun engineering class and then chill out in “North to Alaska”. Check out all the amazing experiences planned for Super Summer 2026. For older students entering 7^th-12^th grades, join Trevor for “Arcane Destiny: The Forbidden Scrolls”, a fantasy role playing adventure. Or enjoy two field trips every day in “Urban Adventure”. Check out all these options and more in the attached brochure.