DOBSON MONTESSORI SCHOOL NEWS
May 18-21
WHAT IS MONTESSORI?
As we come to the end of this school year, you can see the Montessori philosophy reflected in the behaviors and attitudes of your own student. They are engaged and interested in the world around them. They are polite and not intimidated to talk to adults. They are organized and tidy up after themselves…well, most of the time. They are not easily dissuaded from achieving their goals. They are kind to animals and respectful of their friends. They have a true love of learning which is a gift that lasts a lifetime.
KINDERGARTEN
What wonderful achievements we have seen in our kindergarten class this year! They have a zest for learning and have made so much progress on their journey to reading, writing, and understanding math. They are a lively community of friends who have shared an important year together. On Wednesday, we will celebrate our students with a graduation ceremony on the amphitheater at 9:15. Family and friends are invited to join us with a reception following the ceremony in the classroom.
PRIMARY
Such a year of growth and progress for our primary students. These are the essential years of literacy in which students master the foundations of reading, math, and writing. All our students exceeded expectations and are far beyond where they started last August. This week, students will enjoy a talent show and award ceremony with their peers, celebrate reading, and participate in a spelling bee and Water Play Day!
INTERMEDIATE
We are so proud of all our students! As they transition from learning to read to reading to learn, we have explored advanced literature, abstract math concepts, and learned to express ourselves competently in non-fiction and fiction writing. We have delved into areas of science and social studies to expand our understanding of worlds beyond our own. And we have developed mature friendship skills that include problem solving, compassion, and kindness. This week, we will enjoy Reading Day, a spelling bee, a talent show, award ceremony, Brain Quest Trivia game, and Water Play Day. Final report cards will be sent home with students on Thursday.
UPPER DIVISION
What a fantastic year this has been for our Upper Division class. Everyone is working above grade level! We have read classic adult level literature, written our own research papers and creative stories, mastered advanced levels of mathematics, delved into science, learned about world history, and delved deep into thematic topics. We have forged friendships, participated in debates and discussions, developed team and leadership skills, and solved complex problems. We celebrate the year this week with Reading Day, an Award Ceremony, Spelling Bee, Trivia Game Show, and Water Play Day. Final progress reports will be sent home on Thursday.
HIGH SCHOOL
Congratulations to our high school students. Everyone has worked at a college level this year earned college credits while also completing a rigorous high school honors curriculum. We will honor our graduating seniors on Tuesday, May 19 at 6:30 at the Guild of Vale in a graduation ceremony. Everyone is invited to attend. In addition, we will enjoy Reading Day, an award ceremony, Spelling Bee, Trivia Game Show, and Water Play Day. Students will add photos from their end of the year study trip to their scrapbooks. What an amazing trip we enjoyed together! Final transcripts will be sent home with students on Thursday.
READING DAY ON MONDAY
Dobson Montessori is celebrating Reading Day on Monday! Everyone is invited to wear their PJ’s to school and bring a book, pillow, and a stuffed animal. Everyone will get to pick a book to keep as a gift from the school to encourage summer reading.
TUESDAY IS HAT DAY
Everyone may wear a hat to school on Tuesday. Express yourself…Cowboy hat? Fedora? Sun hat? Pioneer bonnet? Sports cap? Beanie?
CRAZY DAY ON WEDNESDAY
Put your silly on today. Wear your hair in spikes or dye it orange. Wear mismatched shoes and socks or put your clothes on backwards. Wear a feather boa or too many bracelets. Go crazy on Wednesday.
WATERPLAY DAY ON THURSDAY
All students will participate in a fun Waterplay Day on Thursday. Kindergarten and Primary students will enjoy waterplay in the morning so they should wear their swimsuits or old t-shirt and shorts that can get wet and muddy. They will also need sneakers that can get wet. No flip flops please. Wear and bring sunscreen. They will need to bring a towel and change of clothes including underwear for the afternoon movie.
Intermediate, Upper Division, and High School students will participate in Waterplay activities in the afternoon. They should wear regular school clothes for the morning and bring a swimsuit or old t-shirt and shorts for waterplay. They should also bring a towel, sunscreen, and sneakers that can get wet.
Activities include water relay races, water balloon toss, whipped cream “sharing”, and a huge water slide! This is the last day of classes for the 25-26 school year. No school on Friday. Summer classes begin Tuesday, May 26.
BACK TO SCHOOL
Fall classes start on Monday, August 24. You will receive your back-to-school orientation packet by email early in August. We have already started planning so many wonderful learning experiences for your student. We recently won a grant from Arizona Humanities AZ Reads that will bring three authors to visit our school plus there will be lots of engaging thematic units, field trips, parent programs and more. The 4th-12th grade Family Camping Trip will be September 17 and 18 at Sharp Creek near Payson so mark your calendars now! Watch for the Cool Pool Party for K-3rd grade families to get together at the start of the year.
SUNFLOWERS, CHICKENS, & GUINEA PIGS, OH MY!
Our baby chicks are now gangly teenagers and ready to move to the chicken yard this week. Students will learn to care for them and watch for our first eggs. Last Friday during PE, our older students rescued two abandoned guinea pigs in the park. They appear to be babies and have been named Soup and Noodle. You will get to know them in room 2 as new classroom pets during Super Summer. Our summer gardens are now sprouted and flowering. We have eggplant, rosemary, peppers, tomatoes, basil, zucchini, oregano, zinnias, and sunflowers. Students will continue to care for them over the summer.
SUPER SUMMER ‘26
What will your student be learning next week? It’s not too late to join us for a super engineering workshop, “Lego Lunatics”. Other workshops this summer include “North to Alaska”, “Going to the Dogs”, “I Know Van Gogh”, “Mythology”, “Eggs-travaganza”, and “Super Summer Send-Off”. For students entering 6th-12th grades, join Trevor for Arcane Destiny role playing or two field trips everyday in Urban Adventure! Only $225 weekly and you may use ESA funds. See attached brochure.
A FEW WORDS FROM SUZANNE
Thank you to our whole community for a wonderful year. Educating children is a responsibility I take very seriously. I also feel the joy of childhood needs to be nurtured in a world increasingly negative. Our school is a small but very important model of what education should be. It is a privilege for me to spend each day among our wonderful students and teachers and bear witness to children who love to read, flowers growing in the garden, parents involved in their children’s learning, students reciting original poems on the amphitheater or reciting Shakespeare on the stage, hot lunch day when older students mentor their younger friends and run their own business, primary children building a fairy garden on the playground, Achey our tortoise grazing, primary children presenting their science projects to parents, kindergarten children forging friendships and unlocking the codes of reading…I could go on forever but it says a few words. So, thank you for trusting Dobson Montessori with your most prized possession, your child. I am proud of each child for their accomplishments academically but even more so for the person they are on their journey of life.