Author Archives: Diana Betts

Montessori At Home: How to Fight Summer Boredom

adapted from a June 2020 piece by Christina Clemmer on mother.ly Summer days are a great time to play with your child and do special activities together. Setting up a few areas in your home where your child can play independently will allow your child to have fun playing on his own, too—so that you can […]

New Fundraiser Through January 2021: Boon Supply

Westshore families, rejoice! There is now a source for high-quality gifts and accessories that ALSO helps our students thrive. Boon Supply, a new but strong player in microfunding and charitable funding, was started in 2017 with a collection from Mixed Bag Designs. Since then they have grown to contribute over $100 million to schools and […]

What Is Westshore’s Summer Program?

The Westshore Montessori Summer Program is a fun-filled opportunity for enrichment. Each and every child brings a very special element to our program. The children share their knowledge, their personalities, and their opportunities with peers from every classroom at Westshore Montessori. The Classrooms are filled with the typical Montessori materials that the children work with during […]

Creating Montessori At Home

One of the most helpful things you can do for your child during this time is to create familiar Montessori routines and environments in your own space at home. The Johnson family has this beautiful setup to share with the Westshore community: Do you have any lessons or quarantine creations that you are proud of? […]

Making Choices

The essence of independence is to be able to do something for oneself.                                                       Maria Montessori Several weeks ago I had a conversation with my daughter who is a senior in college. She told me that she had to make a choice whether or not to go to some events, and was having a hard time […]

Community Over Competition

Written by Directress Monica Dieter The Montessori Method works to maximize the individual child’s academic potential. At Westshore, our classrooms are authentic Montessori environments designed to facilitate child-directed learning experiences. By engaging with materials that are accessible, inviting, and self-correcting, students develop independence, curiosity, and confidence. As students build a strong sense of self, they reflect on the […]

A Letter About Our Future Kindergarteners

The human hand, so delicate and so complicated, not only allows the mind to reveal itself but it enables the whole being to enter into special relationships with its environment.                                                                                                                                                 –Maria Montessori I am often asked, Why Montessori for the kindergarten year?  You chose Westshore Montessori School for your child’s preschool because you wanted […]

Sound Games Come First in Montessori

Written by Directress Monica Dieter Contrary to popular belief, a child’s knowledge of letter-sound relationship is far more important than his or her ability to name letters or recite the alphabet. A child can easily memorize the names of objects or letter symbols, but that does not mean they can use that information to later […]

The smallest bit helps

You have to shop. Why not give back while you do? There are multiple ways you can help out the school with your every-day shopping habits: Amazon Smile – .5% of every eligible purchase donated Amazon Charity List – NEW! Search for Westshore’s Charity List and see the classroom supplies we need right now –this is a […]