Events & Outreach

“The aim of such an education indicates the desire to contribute to the good of all, to share in this cosmic goodness.”

-Maria Montessori

Events

Throughout the year, our community gathers together in celebration of many different aspects of life. Events include the Celebration of Peace, Harvest Gathering, Solstice Celebration, Pride, and a Culmination Ceremony at the close of the school year.

Here are a few other special events not to be missed at MSN:

Poetry Cafe: Lower Elementary students (and parents, if they wish) share poems they have written and/or memorized.

Science Share: Upper Elementary hosts an annual science fair, which offers an opportunity for each Upper Elementary student to experience the scientific method (pose a question, create a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, and analyze the results) and create a presentation for the school community.

Kindergarten Showcase: Our Kindergarten students showcase all they have learned in their mid-day “specials” classes, which include Art, Music, Spanish, and Outdoor Enrichment.

Field Day: An annual event each June, multi-age, cross-classroom teams enjoy a variety of fun outdoor events, ending with a special treat.

Outreach

During the school year, individual classrooms, and the school community as a whole, work on projects to help local social service agencies. Classroom discussions take place about where the donations go and why participation is important.

Elementary classrooms host speakers from local agencies who inform them of the populations their agency serves and what kind of assistance is needed.

Past projects at MSN include:

Manna Meals: Each classroom community is assigned a month during which its members make and deliver soup to the Manna Meals Soup Kitchen.

Northampton Survival Center: Three separate initiatives support the Survival Center. Winter and spring food drives are held, children’s books are collected year-round to stock the free bookshelf supporting early literacy, and gently-used winter gear is collected at the start of the winter season.

Our school responds to world events as well as caring for the ongoing projects listed above. Examples of these initiatives are: the collection of backpacks and school supplies for those affected by Hurricane Katrina; collection of toys and clothes for citizens of Haiti in the wake of the earthquake; and the collection of money to fund international disaster relief through ShelterBox USA to support northern Japan following the devastating tsunami.