Notes

This is the first edition of our monthly newsletter for the school year 2026-27 which you will receive via e-mail during the first or second week of the month. The purpose of this letter is to keep you informed of all that is happening at Parkside. You will learn about upcoming events and new classroom themes for that month. We will also highlight in some detail the new materials and concepts that are being brought into our classrooms. In these “Notes” we will also give you other pertinent information, including dates to remember and suggestions which will help us keep things running in a smooth and organized way.

Parkside has begun its 40th(!) year, and it is our 30th year here at PCUM on 53 Norwood Avenue. We are fortunate to have been in this location for the last thirty years, and much has been done to improve our facilities and enhance our program through the many valuable contributions by our loyal and hard-working teachers. We have had little turnover over these many years, and this year is no exception. Most of our teachers have returned. Sadly Kristy Ellison has left to pursue a new adventure in Sparta, NJ, and Kristen Donohue has accepted a teaching job in the Chatham public school district. Returning teachers include Rhonda Davis, Jenny Donohue, Sadia Hasan, Maureen McCormack, Mary Moore, Colleen Murphy, Patti Reilly, Meg Tempkin, Sue Valentine, Susan Walia and of course Annie and Gingi. Keara McMahon, Annie’s daughter, who has been doing administrative work for us over the last few years, will be returning to the classroom now that her youngest is coming in to Parkside. Her older daughter Kaylie will be in Side 2. Keara was a long-time assistant in the Montclair Public Schools at NIshuane, and she was also on staff at the Edgemont Montessori magnet for even longer than she was at Nishuane. She then took a little time off to have her daughters. You will have the opportunity learn about each teacher and to meet them personally on Parent’s Night which is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, October 20th at 7:00 pm.

September traditionally is a month of transition for children and parents alike. It is a time for our students to learn new routines and to engage in new classroom activities. For some, it is the first time they are spending an extended period of time away from parents and caregivers. As teachers, it is our job to make this transition as smooth as possible for returning and new students alike, and to guide the children through all the changes that September brings. We do take this responsibility very seriously, and we want you to feel comfortable to communicate to us any questions or concerns you may have.

While it is very early in the school year, things have settled down nicely. There are still some tears and hesitancy upon entry, but most of the serious crying has abated. Our teachers are very experienced in helping all of our students feel comfortable, safe and secure. We feel that an organized and attractive environment also helps in this endeavor, and so we have been here since July setting up our classrooms, doing some purchasing of new equipment, cleaning, painting and planning our fall curriculum. We have also had individual visits with each new student and his or her family, and so we were more than ready to begin

During the first weeks of school we demonstrate the new routines and skills that we will be working on such as “Freeze and Squeeze” when our Tibetan bells ring, carrying a chair to circle, listening on circle, carrying, unrolling and rolling up our mats, taking the shelf work to a table or mat, stopping the activities when the teacher moves around with our music box and walking back and forth to and from the playground with a partner. Our returning students obviously are very familiar with these tasks, and they really do help the new students, and actually enjoy doing so. Our schedules and routines remain the same each day, and the children always know what to expect with some slight schedule variation between the two main classrooms. They take their names off the banner upon entry, hang up their jackets, have snack, circle and work time, go outdoors, enjoy some moving and singing back inside, and, at session’s end, listen to a story. We feel that sticking to this order of activities makes them feel more secure and confident as they always know what is coming next in their prepared environment.

As our returning parents know, each month we will focus on a different concept which we will be exploring in depth, and so in this newsletter we will be telling you about the activities being placed on the shelves including our Montessori exercises. Each September as summer lingers for just a bit longer, we like to have beach and sea life serve as our monthly theme, and we carry it into early October. Our thematic materials will appear in all areas including Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math and Art. We have begun at the edge of the ocean learning about the small creatures that inhabit the shells we find on the beach and learning their names by touching and looking at the different kinds that are on trays in our classrooms. Then after a couple of weeks we will move further into the deep to learn about the large animals and fish than inhabit the ocean such as the playful dolphin, the giant but mysterious squid, the shy octopus, the slow-moving manatee, the very hungry shark and the singing humpback whale to name a few. We have baskets of museum quality sea creatures that the children can enjoy on mats on the floor. The bookshelves are full of stories about fun at the beach and sea life, and we have puzzles, matching exercises and counting activities all related to our theme. Songs and art projects also reflect this month’s study.

In Practical Life, we begin with lots of pouring as well as table and shell scrubbing and baby washing. Our returning students do love to get back into water play, and are doing so with efficiency, organization and enthusiasm. There are also grasping, spooning and tweezing tiny sea creatures. We bring a very popular fishing exercise to Practical Life, complete with a large bowl of water holding two of each small sea creature, a net to “catch” them and a towel to match them once they have been “caught”. Sensorial will feature a magnetic fishing exercise and some challenging shell discrimination and sea life puzzles. In Language there are many different kinds of shells on the shelves to identify, classify and match. The aforementioned large baskets of sea creatures are also part of the Language area. The children can use them to learn about the individual characteristics of these fascinating creatures. Being able to handle them in addition to seeing them in books make them very real and also lead to some fun imaginative play. In Math there are many kinds of colorful fish and other sea creatures for counting as well as shell sorting and counting.

A normal concern of many parents is that your child may have very little to say when asked, “What did you do today?” Answers may include “had snack”, “played on the playground” or perhaps the most concerning responses, “nothing” or “I don’t know”. We do work hard to make sure our shelves are full of interesting and engaging exercises that change regularly and that also “call to the child”, as Maria Montessori herself said. Hopefully as a result of these “Notes”, you may be able to ask specific questions, and perhaps elicit more detailed feedback from your little one.

As we enter our second full week of school, we so appreciate what you and your caregivers have done to help your little ones (and us) during this important time in their lives. We are very happy to be back, and, with enthusiasm and a positive attitude, we look forward to a successful and productive year of growth for all of us.

“The young child is vividly aware of the world, taking in

impressions through all her senses. It is also the time of life when

life-long preferences are formed. If we want to lay the groundwork

for the child’s ability to create an organized, peaceful and calm,

but an interesting, challenging and beautiful environment,

we must provide such an environment now.”

Michael Olaf’s “Child of the World”,

2002-2003 edition