TMA in the Smokies

At the beginning of this year, our Montessori Academy’s Junior High class went to Tremont, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! The trip started off very early in the morning at 5:30a.m. There were some whiney children that lightened up when we saw the magnificent mountains.

We had some interesting and educational experiences. We saw a vast variety of wildlife including: an orange salamander, two black bears, two copperheads and one timber rattle snake (both venomous).

 

Many people had unpleasant encounters with an angry nest of yellow jackets. Mrs. Hill got the worst of it with nearly 15 stings! We saw some giant poisonous millipedes and there were many caterpillars all over most peoples’ stuff and all over the girls’ cabin.

 

 

From the eight mile hike, to the river ecology, to seeing historical Cades Cove, everyone enjoyed themselves very much! Thanks to our teachers, our parents and a special thanks to Dr. Morris, who made the trip with us, for allowing us to have such a memorable experience.

-Montessori Junior High Blog

International Festival

 

The 3^rd annual International Festival was a big hit! Everyone was encouraged to contribute something from their ethnic heritage.  We enjoyed foods from all over the world. There were lovely performances by every classroom that showcased the beautiful music from all around the world.  The band played music from jazz to our Montessori theme song.  Special thanks to the junior high students who accompanied the other classes with various percussion instruments. 

 

Many of the families brought in items which were on display for all to see.

We would like to thank Ms. Kahn for organizing the whole thing and for bringing in many of her wonderful items from the places she has traveled. We’d also like to thank Ms. Collins for organizing the musical performances. It was a fantastic experience that showcased our diverse school. If you couldn’t attend this year, we hope to see you next year for another amazing festival! J

The children have diligently been working towards a fun and successful performance for our International Festival on Friday, May 17^th starting at 9AM.

The kids will be showcasing music from Hawaii, Japan, India, Croatia, Ireland, France, Kenya and a Native America tribe. I wanted to give a challenge to the Junior High students who do not participate in band by having them accompany every song on either maracas, drums, xylophones or a gong. The other children in EC, LE and UE have also learned simple steps or movements to interpret specific songs being executed.

We are asking the children, parents and visitors to please represent any culture of your choice by wearing certain clothing items to the festival. This could be as simple as a shirt with a flag on it or colors representing a certain nation. We also love to see full-fledge costumes as well. Everyone at TMA is looking forward to this educational, fun and rewarding festival, and we cannot wait to see you there!

McKayela Collins, Music Teacher

Several Junior High students participated in the National WWII Museum Essay contest which ended on May 1st.  There were 1000 essays submitted from 44 states and not one but two TMA students were honored.  The question asked was, “How can people who disagree still work together for victory?”  Big congratulations go to Jesse Poorman and Phillip Yang who both received Honorable Mention honors.

In other news, congratulations to the Hudak’s, Mark’s, and Jamieson’s for winning the Spaghetti Dinner raffle!  We raised over $500, so thank you to all who participated. 

And don’t forget - the book fair is starting on Monday, May 6 and will run through Saturday, May 11. Come and buy books for your children and support our school at the same time!

Farewell Mr. Feferbob

He left for a good cause. Mr. Feferman that is, and he has been a teacher at the Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes for 19 years! We will miss him and his ‘stash.

Last year we were told that Mr. Feferman would be retiring this year and we wondered who would take his place in the family. Mr. Feferman was one step ahead and suggested that Mr. Randy Kelly take over for him.

 

Mr. Feferman is leaving Montessori to work for United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). “UANI is a not-for-profit, non-partisan, advocacy group that seeks to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to obtain nuclear weapons.”

 

We want to wish Mr. Feferman lots of luck in his new career and thank him for his dedication to TMA. His kindness, passion for teaching and his concern for all of us will be missed!