“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
―Mahatma Gandhi

“Learning as if you were to live forever” – What could Gandhi have meant? Absorb everything you possibly could, like a walking encyclopedia? It’s possible, since Gandhi didn’t have access to a world wide web where all that data is right at your fingertips and doesn’t have to be stored in the brain.

But as for what does have to be stored in your brain to be retrieved the moment you need it, that kind of learning is what a Montessori education seeks to provide – the knowledge of “how to learn” as well as a genuine passion for learning, at two or ninety-two.

Even seemingly unrelated academic basics such as reading, writing, and arithmetic have their essence established in “learning how to learn.” One cannot get immersed in a deep philosophical or political treatise without knowing how to read, how to order one’s thinking logically without sequencing learned from mathematics, or understand nuances and metaphors without knowing the basics of writing. A good education provides these prerequisites.

But where Montessori extends that is to understand how the student is engaged throughout his years in “going beyond” the immediate answers – knowing how to learn the answers beyond the data collecting stage, to be future-oriented in order to see beyond the present and recognize what will need to be considered seven generations from now.

A Montessori student does not learn for gold stars, a report card, or compliments. He learns because he is enthralled with ideas, processes, and “aha” moments. Too soon, he finds out about extrinsic requirements for success and may succumb to those for the time being. But most often, what’s “in his bones” will bring him back to his joyful scholar roots – the passion for learning just for the sake of it.

Administrator Chats

We are tremendously grateful that you place your trust in Montessori School of Anderson to educate and nurture your child(ren)! It is our desire to ensure an informed and comfortable transition from one year to the next, one level to the next.

As part of MSA’s preparations for the 2019-2020 academic year, we provide multiple opportunities for you to learn more about our programs at each level. This past week we held an Open House, an Observation Day, and a Parent Information Night. If you were not able to attend these recent events, I encourage you to join us for the upcoming “Administrator Chats” (informal Q & A sessions and light refreshments) on February 7 and February 12. Morning chats will be from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. or stop in for an evening chat from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (If you feel you need information more specific to your child, we invite you to set up a meeting with his/her teacher before making your 2019-2020 enrollment decision.)

Picture a shy two and a half-year-old little girl with long brownish, blond hair in ribbons and a pretty little dress walking in to our BIG (to her anyway) first Montessori School of Anderson classroom in the basement of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and you have pictured our wonderful Lower Elementary Directress, Ms. Molly Moorhead. In other words, sometimes, “what goes around, comes around.” To say that Montessori is “in her bones” is an understatement. Molly attended MSA from 1973-1980 when she completed 6th grade, the highest level at that time.

After finishing her years at McCant’s Junior High and Hanna High School, she went on to USC to receive a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in the Natural Sciences and Fine Arts and an Elementary Education degree.

With Montessori in her bones, Molly went on to earn a degree with an American Montessori Society certification for teaching ages 6 - 12. Obviously, Molly loves learning so she then went on to receive her Master of Fine Arts in Poetry and Creative Writing from Queens University. All of this has enabled her to be a really fine Montessori teacher for the past 23 years.

Molly also serves as a Montessori Instructional Guide and Field Consultant during the summer.

Here are some of Molly’s favorite memories at MSA:

“Polishing mirrors and silver, peeling carrots, the color tablets, sound cylinders, and nature education during both Primary and Elementary years. Also “The Big Hole” (as it was fondly called) behind the school, hikes in the woods and creek walks during recess – all these behind our fence now.”

Ms. Molly’s Recommendation to students:

“Be kind, be true to who you are, and spend time with people who make you feel easy to love.”

February is a busy month around campus. It is the time of year when we focus on National Heart Month, National Children's Dental Health Month, nutrition and emphasis is placed on taking care of our bodies through proper nutrition, exercise and making healthy lifestyle decisions. Please join me in taking this opportunity to speak with your children about their dietary habits, hydration, exercise, oral hygiene and making healthy decisions.

A special thank you to Anderson Pediatric Dentistry and Dr. Kevin Nietzer for visiting our Primary and Lower El classes and for sharing a wonderful dental health program.

Wishing all of our MSA families a warm, safe and Heart Healthy Month! For more information on Heart Health, you may go to www.heart.org.

Flu and other winter related illnesses are on the rise in Anderson County and South Carolina. When trying to make a decision on whether a student should return to school following an illness, please refer to MSA’s policy regarding illness.

Illnesses

MSA students are prohibited from attending classes while ill. If your child is absent, please notify the school office. MSA is proactive in monitoring all illnesses and makes every to prevent illnesses from spreading. When you have verification that your child has a communicable disease, please notify the office immediately. It is preferable to bring your child in late or keep him/her out for another day in order to completely recuperate rather than risk exposing the student body to a potentially communicable illness. All students must be fever-, vomiting-, and diarrhea-free for 24 hours (without the aid of medications) before returning to school. Absences; excused or unexcused are recorded for all students. For any student experiencing a fever greater than 100.5, vomiting, having diarrhea or simply feeling too poorly to focus or concentrate on class work, the parent will be called and the student will be dismissed early.

If your child has missed school due to an illness, he/she may not participate in any other school-related activity on that day or evening.

With healthy regards,

Susanna Merriman, RN