Christmas Party in the BIG School

On December 21st, we welcomed our families into the new space for a Christmas party. The children presented their gift to their new school which was a Book of Peace. Each child had written and illustrated their notion of what peace sounds like, tastes like, feels like and looks like and they presented their ideas one by one to their parents and teachers. The illustrations were so glorious, we decided to laminate them and use them as the centrepiece for our peace table. The children use the peace table to resolve conflicts in the casa. At the table, they take responsibility for both the process and the outcome of their disagreements. In this way, they direct the process and “own the outcome” and Melody and Amandine only step in when the conflicts escalate which is rare. The peace book will sit on the table as a reminder of what they what they are trying to achieve, conveying literally the sensation of what that goal of peacefulness means to each child. We think their little book is rather powerful.

The rest of the morning was spent having fun, doing charades (in the hallway as it happened because we locked ourselves out of the classroom!), sharing snacks and making more Christmas cards. We look forward to welcoming the small group of children back on January 7th to be followed by our new students two weeks later.

The staff and students of The Orchard Montessori wish you all the best for 2013!