I hope this letter finds you and all your family in good health.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten the well-being and lives of many people living in Ireland, our government, as I’m sure you are aware, has announced an extension on the present guidance to stay at home until Tuesday, May 5th.

In line with this, the school will remain closed until further notice.

While this forced closure will continue to be a massive disruption for you, all our families and staff, I’m sure it doesn’t come as a surprise, given the present circumstances and I’m sure we all agree that it is for the best.

This is a challenging time for us all, especially the younger members of our school community who, at this point, are probably missing their daily interactions and routine with school friends and teachers.

Our greatest concern for them, at the moment, is that they will remain happy, safe and well and are ready to return to class as soon as we are given the go-ahead.

We are optimistic that we will still be in a position to make up lost class time for the children during the month of July and hope to get back to daily school life ASAP.

Myself and the class teachers continue to work for the greater good of our school and are presently working on how we can best support our families during this period of closure.

May I extend a huge thanks to all those who have carried on schoolwork at home.  It is difficult to strike the right balance between work and play: challenging times for all!

Please be assured that the measures we are taking as a country/school community, while difficult, will ensure that everyone will return to school in the near future happy and healthy.

Thank you for your continued support.  It is truly vital to ensure the school remains sustainable and ready to open with our existing team of wonderful teachers and facilities.

Stay safe!

Ashley.

Enjoying our wonderful outdoor environment

The renewed play and exploration area is most welcome and very popular when we go out on nature walks or just to burn off some excess energy. Being a well read bunch our students love the fact that the inspiration for the play area came from our much loved Oscar Wilde and his story of the Selfish Giant. Dublin City created a lovely illustrated version of the story if you’d like to explore it with your child at home.

A big news story so far this terms has to be the receiving of our own copy of the 1916 Proclamation from the Irish Army Officials. In the preparatory school classes, the students are very aware of the historic and cultural significance of the upcoming centenary celebrations. The commencement of the republic as an independent nation has some resonance with them as they continue to work towards making their own independent place in the family, the classroom and indeed the world around them. The presentation itself was a wonderful experience for the whole school and was fittingly officiated by our most senior student.

Receiving our copy of the Proclamation

As a staff member its wonderful to see our students grow in stature, knowledge and independence from the 2yr old toddlers that come into the nursery to our 10 and 11yr old senior students, we have time to learn and grow with the student and their family. Child lead learning is key in any quality Montessori environment and that is in evidence everywhere in the Hedley Park experience. We can certainly say that in being part of the learning story of some of our more senior students we have learned about topics we as staff would otherwise never have approached. The child’s interests and questions lead their exploration of subjects and each child brings a unique perspective that we are honoured to ensure they develop and strengthen. This natural inquisitiveness, eagerness to be challenged and joy in learning is a trait of Montessori educated individuals long after they progress beyond our halls.

Nursery Class – Matching Sounds

Our nursery class have been exploring many subjects, from Geography to Poetry, Natural Sciences to Maths. Of course the underlying core within all our classroom activities is the development of the individual learner and their own independence and confidence in their ability to learn. Children of this stage need to be active, involved and engaged with the topic. The need sensory input in order to establish the facts of the lesson deep within their schema of knowledge. What we mean by this as Montessori practitioners, is that children learning through the method don’t just parrot back rhymes of numbers, sounds and topics, but through the materials and lessons they can absorb the quantity, shape, weight, feeling, sound and concrete truth of the numbers, letters, and basic building blocks of the world around them. It is through the connection of the hand to feel, the eyes to see and the mind to comprehend that the child internalises the abstract idea and makes it real and useful to them for the rest of their life long learning.

The Junior Class – Australia study area

Our Junior class students are ready for some slight abstraction from the concrete learning of the nursery, but they are still very active and hands on in their quest for knowledge. In the early part of the spring term the group turned their attention to the continent of Australia. It’s a topic that students from the nursery will have already been introduced, however as the students have developed from nursery so have their interests and the learning at Junior Class level is deeper and more involved. Animals and the natural environment are intriguing to children of this age, being well versed in the natural landscape around them here in Ireland they are now intellectually capable of comparison with a new continent. This comparison to the known gives rise to the wonder and interest to explore further, coupled with a wealth of information sources at their disposal the child’s inner drive to learn is well rewarded. It is these positive formative experiences in learning that build a solid desire to learn that will remain within the child driving their learning and questioning for life.

Senior Class – Montessori Great Lessons

Our Senior Class students are well versed in the abstract, with a very solid knowledge and base at their feet they stride out into some unique and challenging subject areas. Spring term has witnessed deep exploration into what Montessori termed the “Great Lessons” these 5 groups of lessons explain how and why the earth, life and civilisation came to be.
For a child, the Great Lessons spark the imagination and lead students to contemplate not only the past, but the future. It is through the telling (and re-telling) of these important cosmic lessons that students are motivated to further research and works in the Montessori classroom. Our seniors have been furthering their exploration of the second Great Lesson, Life Comes to Earth. Fascinated by the Era’s timeline the students have been using the materials available to create their own versions. Large work projects like this don’t just further the child’s subject knowledge, but deepens their independent working skills, self motivation, concentration, negotiation and in part team work. Watching a senior Montessori class like our is a joy, the learning and experiences are so varied and multi-layered, cross subject and skill development is naturally occurring in each moment of the day.

Chinese New Year Feast – Emperor holds court.

Our school community relish their extracurricular activities and classes, and in February it wasn’t just knowledge we were relishing, but yummy food in our Chinese New Year Banquet. Hosted by our Mandarin teacher the banquet has become a tradition of the Hedley Park calendar. This year we got the opportunity to make dumplings in the class and share them with our Emperor and Empress at the feast. It is a lovely occasion for the students and a very colourful and unique experience each year.

Music Workshop in National Concert Hall

Another extracurricular experience this spring, was a trip to the local amenity that is the National Concert Hall. We are privileged to have such national treasures on our doorstep and luckily we are in a position to enjoy them when possible. On this occasion the Junior and senior prep school classes were treated to a very hands-on and interactive workshop in music and percussion. It was fantastic morning of sound and energy exploration that the children and their teachers thoroughly enjoyed. I have it on good authority that we will return for future workshops as it was a complete success.

So ends our update from the first half of the spring term, we have many new lessons, and events coming in the second half of the term. Beginning with our Proclamation Day on the 16th March, more details on the calendar and in school.

In the meantime please enjoy the gallery of our images from the Spring Term so far.

We had such a lovely second half of the autumn term, in our last post we updated you on all our wonderful extracurricular and charitable activities from the first half of the term, November and December have been no less jam-packed!

Senior Class – Helping launch Childline appeal

From yoga and karate to practice for the winter play, science experiments and natural history field trips our young learners have had it all going on. Every day in Hedley Park bring unique and exciting learning opportunities, our staff and students are constantly asking questions of each other, discovering new ways to explore the world around them and expanding on the natural talents within us all.

School Play – Rehearsal

From a personal perspective the Winter Play is really a wonderful opportunity to see hidden, and in some cases not so hidden talents in our learning community. As teachers in the school it is always a heart warming and intensely proud time at the end of the show, to see how the children have risen to the challenge, took on big roles, in a real theatre, with a professional sound and lighting crew and a full script. Each and every child has rehearsed, practiced lines, songs and moves for months, but at the dress rehearsal standing there in costume it all is so real. The children just take it in their stride, and watching them onstage (from the wings) they really shine!

Senior Class – drawing our native deer.

It is so remarkable for the children to get the chance each year to perform in a real theatre; it shows the respect and confidence we place in their preparations and their talent. It is this respect that gives them the self confidence and inner belief to give it their all in the knowledge that they are seen as capable and effective members of the cast. The responsibility of each role allows the child to grow in new ways, they are aware that they are a vital member of the cast and that their presence is key to the groups success. It is this responsibility as a cast member and the spirit of taking part that gives them wings to go farther than anyone could ever think, and each year as staff and parents we are speechless at how far the children take the play and in so doing, their own development.

Senior Class – species studies

On the topic of unique developmental opportunities there are no shortage available to the students of Hedley Park. The classroom shelves are generously stocked with attractive, provoking and curriculum enhancing materials, and the students waster no time in exploring them to their fullest. Children learn best in a physical, hands on way, they deal in the real and the concrete and Dr Montessori identified this and used this knowledge to create materials that would aid the child to internalise their learning in the most natural and effective way.

Senior Class – working together on maths

Of course it’s not just the materials that have assisted our children’s learning all term. Our wonderful staff are all highly trained and experienced, they observe and journal each child’s interests, learning styles and development to plan lessons, plans and activities to allow each child to progress and flourish in a natural and exciting way.
In a Montessori setting the environment is known as the “third teacher” and our environment, its interior classrooms and its exterior surroundings combine to offer the students a distinctive and exceptional learning atmosphere.

Extracurriculia – Martial Arts class

It is a wonderful accolade to the Montessori approach that the newest student in the British Royal Family, Prince George has been attending a Montessori school. Of course he’s not alone, his father and uncle both experienced a Montessori setting, as did many other highly successful individuals. We have listed a few alumni here. There are studies in progress to discover what exactly does the Montessori offer to create the driven, compassionate and successful people amongst its alumni, but those of us who have experienced a Montessori community as a parent, teacher or student can see that the respect, trust, exploration and child lead curriculum sets our learners on a path to realise their fullest human potential in an empowered and contentious manner.

So as we move towards the spring term, we look forward to further Hedley traditions, and new experiences for staff, students and parents alike. Come back soon to find out more and like our facebook page to get mini updates along the way.

Enjoy the photo gallery of our learning and adventure.

From old traditions such as the Witches Walk and Winter Play rehearsals to new experiences such as the Cupcake Cafe and our Karate and Yoga classes, no two weeks in Hedley Park are the same this term. Of course what is most unpredictable and most interesting has been the journeys each child’s learning has taken us on. The Montessori Method is based on child lead learning and that is certainly evident in the every day of our school community.

A wonderful and most unexpected highlight of this term was our cupcake cafe. Inspired by the children’s own conversations about the plight of refugee children entering Europe they wondered how they could help make their journey easier and welcome those who had made it as far as Ireland. While most adults would feel overwhelmed with the enormity of the task, our ingenious students decided that a bake sale would raise much-needed funds to give them options for assistance. We made buns in school and at home, we got our parents involved and friends. On the morning itself we invited everyone we knew to come along buy some cake or a bun and a cup of tea and by 11am we had raised €587.93

Of course now the funds were raised what was the best way to help? Our children decided that gift bags containing essentials and treats would be the most welcoming idea. They decided on hats, and gloves, toothbrushes & toothpaste, notebooks, pens, playing cards, slinky and of course a sweet treat! Our Senior Class, who masterminded the majority of the operation, spent a morning packing all the bags and we delivered them to a charity to distribute.

All these feelings of oneness with mankind could be said to be promoted by our new extracurricular classes, yoga and karate. Both of these activities have immense benefits for our young students from essential mindfulness, self control and awareness of ones own body in space and time, to expanded concentration, community building, muscular and skeletal development and gross muscle coordination. We were very lucky that Estelle and Brendan joined the team of professionals that compliment our seven fantastic teachers (and Mairead) here at Hedley. While yoga and karate are new and very popular extracurricular classes, we still have the ever enjoyable ballet, drama, sport (including tennis in the summer), mandarin, chess and music lessons to ensure further holistic development.

Our daily classes are also jam packed with wonderful educational opportunities beginning in the Nursery Class with Lisa, Magna and Evan where so much of the learning is hands on. The autumn term has a lovely mix of returning students, who know the routine and are happy to make new friends, and new children, for whom this may be their first time in a class environment. Under the care of their teachers and the helpful second year students, the new children settle in early and delight in being part of all the comings and goings. Gaining independence is the main aim of the nursery, independence in self care and in their own learning and development. Nursery children are always eager to be involved and do it all for themselves! Thankfully their super patient teachers encourage this and very surprised parents see quickly this new found confidence in their little person.

The full Montessori curriculum is explored in each class, no matter how young, the learning materials are hands on and perfectly attuned to the needs of each stage. Montessori is less about what a 3, 4, or 5 year old should know and more about giving every child the opportunity to explore each subject area to any depth they wish. Children being naturally curious absorb and assimilate this learning and the materials are endless in supplying their eager and inquisitive minds. Thus we can see that no two children’s journey is the same and so we happily introduced the learning journal concept to our repertoire this year, and its been a resounding success in documenting each child’s unique interests and story in the class environment.

The Junior Class is no less action packed; again a lovely mix of the new and the returning students, some having moved up from the nursery and some joining the Hedley family for the first time, alongside the second year students who relish assisting their new classmates. Under the watchful eyes of teachers Aoife and Sinead who encourage the children to be full and involved participants in the classroom community our Junior Class students enjoy the group projects and independent learning opportunities on offer. The multi age groupings in Montessori classrooms really bring out the best in our students, the new students to the class can find support and assistance in the more established students and in turn the second year students get confidence and awareness from being class buddies with the younger class mates. Helping other children with the materials and the class routine provides “over learning” the opportunity to explain a lesson or a concept gives the students another perspective and concretes the idea further for the more experienced student, and for the younger student peer learning is often more valuable as at this age the children are eager to find the company and acknowledgment of their peers.

As for the Senior Class its chockablock with experiences and fun learning opportunities. Our seniors really have come into their own, each year they build on the projects and activities of the last, ably assisted by Ashley and Katie who are the facilitators of development in the classroom. It is under their supportive guidance that the children discover how the knowledge and relationships formed in the class relate to the outside world. Here they can see how they can be full and present parts of society. The current buzz word of cutting edge primary education in Ireland is “connected learning” the idea that students should see all the subjects as interdependent and that lessons should not be in one topic alone but should bring as many connected areas together as possible. However as experienced Montessori practitioners Katie and Ashley don’t find this a buzz word so much as a way of being in the classroom, it is the very heart of the Montessori experience through out the school.

As our parents know the children chose projects and ideas to develop from anywhere they wish, incorporating all the curriculum topics the students can research and find the information they need to answer their own questions or present their found knowledge to their peers. An example of this was not only the cupcake cafe but their Holiday Budget projects. Holidays are a big topic in all our lives and the children took on the idea of being given a budget to plan and organise a holiday for themselves and their families. Deciding on destination, transport, hotels, activities, restaurants, sightseeing and the all important shopping. Taking into account prices, currency, timetables, distances, changes in time and the interests of various family members. The “Holiday Plan” was presented to the class by each student and no doubt presented
at home for family approval!

So now we are back to school after the halloween break things have not slowed down. Everyone is still talking about the Witches Apprentice who made our walk so much fun and we are all enjoying the songs and rehearsals for the Winter Play, the title of which we are still keeping under lock and key!

Keep an eye on our Facebook in the coming days and weeks for more news and sneak peaks of the rehearsals and the other activities we are getting up to.

We have been so busy in the last months there was hardly time to sit down and update you on all we have done, thankfully we grabbed a few moments to catch up on the highlights of the last while.

The seniors have, as ever, just been a hive of activity. They began with their projects and presentations. This is an activity that the students really enjoy and it shows. As a group we choose an overarching theme, this year the theme was animals. Each student then selects a subtopic, and they begin their independent research there. They are free to use any of the wealth of research opportunities in the school to compile their information and can present the information in any manner. This year some students took the opportunity to show off their PowerPoint skills and made use of the interactive whiteboard to present their research findings.

Once all the students have compiled and organised their research, created their display materials they get to present their work to the whole school. It’s a fantastic chance for each student to hone their public speaking skills, and grow in confidence as their classmates and the younger children soak up the information. For the younger children it’s a fantastic modelling experience as they learn how the older children conduct themselves in the presentations. It is this autonomous research and learning on a topic of their own choosing and then the confidence building presentation to a group that really concretes not only the facts and figures, but the whole suite of independent learning skills which will stay with these young students as they move through their educational careers.

While on a roll from their independent projects the senior class took on a mammoth team project, this time we were going on the Titanic. Montessori especially in the senior classes is characterised by the holistic nature of learning, the students don’t learn in isolation, nor do they experience the world one element at a time, so we embrace project learning where all elements of the curriculum can be encompassed in their connectedness. This project took in elements of science, history, maths, social studies, geography, english and we even looked at engineering and nutrition.

Children are by nature kinaesthetic learners, they are physical, hands on and involved in their learning and excel in settings where this is supported and encouraged. The setup of the classrooms in Hedley are designed for exactly such learning to occur spontaneously. The children had a wealth of questions about the story of the Titanic, and in true Montessori fashion Katie and Ashley supported the children to discover the answers for themselves through experiments, research, field trips, writing pieces and creating objects. The learning comes from their own interactions and can be seen to be fully absorbed by the students rather than put in front of them to learn off.

To fully “stand in the shoes” of those who boarded the fateful ship we went to Belfast on a field trip to the Harland & Wolfe shipyard at the Titanic museum, of course while there we also went to W5, and it was the perfect place for the seniors, whose parents will testify are constantly asking Why, What, When, Where and Who? Many answers were gleaned from the hands on exhibits there gave rise to further questions which were brought home to investigate at our leisure.

The capstone project of our Titanic Experience was the First Class Afternoon tea the seniors held for their parents and chosen VIPs. It was a fantastic afternoon planed, prepared and hosted by the young students. All elements were thought of and created by the children from invites to menus, choosing table settings, seating plans, appropriate outfits and of course the food and beverages. I’m sure the honoured guests will agree it was a beautiful experience and gave everyone unique memories to last a lifetime.

The seniors weren’t the only busy people, earlier in the year the whole school got involved in World Book day celebrations with a book sale and dress up day. We came as our favourite book characters, Matilda, the Cat in the Hat, many Harry Potter characters and plenty of super heroes turned up to share their love of reading in all its forms. Another lovely tradition began in the senior class that we hope to continue with the other class groups, we each brought a book we had read at home and enjoyed with a recommendation review and swapped them with our class mates to pass the love along.

The Junior class also got involved in project learning with their trip to the continent of Australasia. The Great Barrier Reef was explored in all its colourful teeming glory. Creating all the fish types is a fantastically expressive and creative way to absorb the wonders of this beautiful biosphere. On land we learned about Kangaroos and Koalas, the Aboriginal people of Australia and the native populations of the many countries and islands that make up Australasia.

The Nursery class enjoyed their foray into art appreciation by creating their own masterpieces on the theme of “I spy animals in art” it’s wonderful to hear their descriptions of what is happening in the paintings they created. Painting is such a valuable leaning space for children and is very therapeutic when they are overcome with the emotion’s that are very keenly felt by these youngsters in their journey to self-regulation.Other valuable sources of self regulation are Yoga and Kenpo Karate which we are happy to report are on the list of extracurricular classes for the next academic year. We cant wait to start classes with Estelle from The Olive Tree Yoga Studio, and Brendan from Golden Tiger Academy. Both of these extra curricular classes are designed to help the children with emotional self regulation, physical development, community spirit and self discipline and wonderfully complement our already diverse offering of extra mural classes.

For now we are looking forward to our two week summer break, before we all get stuck into another wonderful year of learning, fun and friendship.

Early in the month we took delivery of the shipment of new materials we bought using the wonderful donations we received from our fundraising event at the end of last year. Our students really love their Montessori materials and it is fantastic that with the generous support of our parents we can continue to revitalise the stock of hands on learning opportunities we have to hand. These new materials can extend learning in an area giving the child further opportunity to develop a skill or ability or inspire a child to question, discover and internalise their learning more than they would from work sheets or books alone.

This time we got some really remarkable pieces, including a delightful continent box, to help the children discover the animals and continents of the world and the truly spectacular Timeline of Evolution which charts the stages and milestones in the evolution of life on the planet. This piece of material has in itself sparked so much debate, research, reading, experiments and conversations in the senior class.

The materials in a Montessori environment are the true “instructor” of the students, and this is very evident in the Timeline of Evolution. Watching the children pour over it, finding facts and heading off to the PCs, iPads and well-stocked library to investigate further was wonderful. Hearing them come up with ideas about why some stage of evolution happened before the next, where certain traits or animals or events occurred is really remarkable. It is this self-directed learning that embeds itself in the work ethic of the children as they mature as learners. The confidence it gives them as learners capable of taking charge of their own interests and questions, this is the real and long lasting effect of Montessori education for our children.

Of course having children who are simply self-motivated to learn is not the only outcome of the Montessori method. Children are very social and take so much from their environment and interactions. We want to ensure the children are compassionate and considerate of those around them. Children who grow into thoughtful and community minded individuals. With this in mid we love to see our Snack café develop as a central part of the afternoons activities. Practicing social graces, manners, helpfulness, conversation and listening skills. It is inspiring for us as adults in the environment to see the children naturally displaying all of the above and more. The older children relish their role, taking care of the needs of the younger children and the younger children model their behaviours on the example of their elders. Healthy eating is another cornerstone of Hedley Park and from the general policies on lunches and snacks to all the food we provide, allowing and encouraging children to widen their horizons and introduce their palates to new tastes and textures helping them to become the dietary norm for children is paramount to us.

So what have we been doing in class? As usual we start with the youngest group of learners in the school, the Nursery class. What a vibrant and loving group they are, constantly moving, hugging, chatting, laughing these young students pack a lot into their day. This month they have really been enjoying their Mandarin class, of course the 2-4 age group are in the midst of their natural sensitive period for language. They absorb new words, sounds, intonations and tones faster at this period than at any other time in their life. We don’t want to waste this wonderful natural drive so we ensure the Nursery class is a treasure trove of languages. From French songs, to Irish poems, stories and rhymes in English and their wonderful Mandarin class the Nursery children soak it all up.

The Nursery children are also in their sensitive period for movement, as any parent will tell you, they never stop going!

This sensitive period is not just about the need for movement but the refinement of movement. Strengthening muscles both gross and fine. From the big movements of carrying a chair or the largest block of the broad stairs, to the finest movements involved in holding a pencil or using a scissors the children are constantly making the neurological pathways that will be required for the rest of their lives. The Montessori environment is rich in occasions for movement, in fact we don’t just allow movement but expect and encourage it. Children move around the room selecting, setting up, doing and returning their work, they can walk around the classroom observing others, go to the library, to the home corner, to the shelves, freedom of movement is observed in all aspects of the day and it satisfies this deep unconscious need for the child to refine their movements in order to control their bodies.

If the Nursery class is a hive of activity then the Junior class is a bustling and vibrant pod of dedicated learners. Movement isn’t just the domain of the younger students. Our junior class students are very active, from Tuesday ballet to Friday Sport, daily activities in the park (weather permitting) we love to get active.

Sport is a weekly highlight; the youngest in our class stay with Sinead in school and enjoy music and rhythm exercises every Friday morning. The older students in the class along with the senior class pupils get their kit bags and head off with George (our bus driver), Ashley, Aoife and Katie to a local sport centre. Here in their spacious setting we can really move our bodies. Lots of individual and team games, gymnastics, muscle control and coordination exercises are enjoyed by all.

In the junior class this month we have been on an Asian adventure. We explored the continent of Asia and used it as the inspiration for all our projects, from writing samples, to art, geography to culture we have been on an odyssey of learning. It is a timely study as we are preparing for another great Hedley Park tradition, our Chinese New Year celebration and feast! 2015 is the year of the Goat, and we will make sure it is “Ram” packed with learning and fun!

The junior class aren’t the only ones to prepare for the year of the Goat. The senior class are past masters at calligraphy by now having enjoyed many many lessons in Mandarin, Chinese Culture and Calligraphy, we even have our own wolf hair brushes and inkstones. The senior students have been preparing a team project on the Chinese new Year and are looking forward to sowing off their hard work on the big day.

Another project the senior students got “stuck into” this month, was inspired by the Evolution Timeline it was a study on the development of the backbone in animals. We began this study with a dissection of the fish. As younger students we all worked with the parts of the fish puzzle and its control sheet.

We have often used the labels on the puzzle pieces so we are all familiar with the terminology, but a real fish is a wonderful extension of this. It was fascinating to label all the parts and then begin the search for a physical example of the backbone itself. Talk about enthralled by the topic, the students were captivated and very eager to lend a hand… or four to the proceedings. It was heartening for us a teachers to see the flame of knowledge burn bright in our students, a flame that is never far from this particular group but magical when it blazes en-masse.

So with that we will leave you, and will be back soon to update you on all our special projects, Chinese New Year and of course Valentines Day. My how fast the months pass when you are as busy and happy as we all are!

Please enjoy the photo gallery of our months work.

On set at the Play

Now we are back after a restful, fun and family filled Winter Break its time to look back at the end of our first term.
Firstly we can take a little walk through the projects and themes we explored through the final month of the term.

Asian Adventure

The nursery children began by going on an Asian adventure. As we have discussed before Montessori uses a colour-coded system to assist children to differentiate the continents, this colour also serves to link all the various themed artefacts to the particular continent to provide the child with a strong visual base from which to associate the images and items. For each of the seven continents the children in the nursery begin by painting a huge outline map of the continent. This fun group activity is our point to begin discussing the continent in question.
At the nursery stage we primarily focus on animals, very iconic imagery and stories or songs about the continent. However the beauty of the Montessori method lies in the individual nature of each child’s learning, when a child has the drive to enquire farther the materials are always on hand in our school to aid their exploration to the fullest of the child’s interest.

Winter Art in the Nursery

Photobombing is great fun!

Another theme much enjoyed by the nursery, especially when coming up to Christmas is that of the seasons. Winter is a wonderfully sensorial season. Learning about snow and ice, cold winds and shorter days really spark the children’s imaginations. Again we use art, and song, stories and sensorial play to inspire the children to question and learn. With such a multicultural group in the school as a whole we celebrate so many cultural festivals, and Christmas certainly is large on the list. The nursery has lovely traditions that help the children prepare for the holiday. My personal favourite is making our reindeer food to encourage the sleigh to stop at our homes.

Bust at work in the Junior class

The preparatory school junior class also had a busy winter term; handwriting is the buzzword in the group. Everyone is getting into their writing samples, enjoying writing poems, stories and getting lots of perfection making practice!
The drive children experience to communicate in the written medium is instinctive at this stage; Montessori called it the explosion into writing. Writing is a complex act that requires intellectual process combined with manual dexterity and is the ability to express thoughts with graphic symbols.

Handwriting Sample

Activities that make this possible are abundant in the Montessori setting, from the nursery tracing sounds, sensorial activities and practical life to the insets for design in the junior class and the chalkboard and moveable alphabet, our teachers know the great importance of indirect preparation: the children must be given opportunity to prepare their hand and mind to then be able to write. When all of the components of language come together and the children individually come to the realisation they can write.

Being photobomed again!

Montessori believed the children’s natural absorbent mind helps them to take in the images of the letters and also helps the children understand the importance of writing. It is significant in society and children are uniquely attuned to discovering the culture around them. This contributes to their deep desire to write. The children will come to realize that writing is not just any marks put on paper but is made of special marks. Knowing these special marks helps the child to do “special writing”.

In the senior class our crack team of “backstage managers and set designers” were busy outside of individual work time conceiving and crafting the props and set pieces that they wanted for the Christmas Play. As the oldest group they enjoy a lot of responsibility and relish taking charge and deciding what is required for each scene and how it should look. Then their years of group and individual craft and art classes come into the fray and wonderful and unique set props are created.

Tweedle Dum & Dee

The Preparatory School play this year was Alice in Wonderland and what a masterpiece it was. To use Ashley’s catchphrase “Best show ever” and it was.

Backstage getting ready

Some of our Enchanted Flowers!

The children rehearsed their lines and on stage movements to polish the show until it shone! We had some stellar characterisations, from the gracefully mischievous Cheshire Cat, to the delicate and dainty Flower garden. The rambunctious twins Tweedle Dum & Dee to the military precision of the Deck of Cards. Alice was just superb and alongside the Mad Hatter they brought so much of their own personalities to the roles. The fearsome and beautiful Queen, with her much maligned and gentlemanly King to the White Rabbit who began it all. The children gave it their all and more and as usual you can see them blossom after the show, the confidence and poise performing a full play in a professional theatre is an amazing experience to have so early on in life.

Not to be outdone the Nursery group also had their play on the same day. I have to say it’s always so wonderful to see and this year was exceptional. The little ones themselves are not one bit fazed by the lights and the audience, and seem to enjoy the reaction of the parents from their places on stage. This year they performed “The Littlest Christmas Tree” and I think many of the parents were amazed at how well all the children participated.

Nursery on stage!

Future leaders meet the current leader

Finally just before we broke up for the Christmas break, the preparatory school went on a trip to their neighbour in Government Buildings. We are so lucky to have so many public amenities on our doorstep. But one local amenity that not everyone gets the invitation to enjoy is the corridors of power in the department of the Taoiseach. On a guided tour of the gallery of the Dail, the chambers of the Senate and the Cabinet, we made our way to meet Enda Kenny, the Taoiseach of Ireland.

Fresh from their success onstage earlier that week the children were brimming with

The Dail Gallery

confidence and poise and enjoyed asking some pretty challenging questions of our national leader. He was charmed by their manners and intelligence and they could see that he was enjoying their joie de vivre! There were Christmas carols and “fist bumps” a plenty as they gathered around the tree for a photo op!
Its with great thanks to Elsa & Leon’s Dad for organising this wonderful experience.

What a busy end of term, all I can say is we all really deserved the break when it came. And in our first week back we have been planning, scheming, inspiring and challenging each other to discover all we can about the new terms topics and projects! I for one cannot wait to see what the coming weeks have to offer!

2015 will be another amazing year of growth and learning for Hedley Park and all its bright and energetic pupils!

Have a look at our Photogallery below to see all our fun and work!

And make sure to scroll beneath to hear us singing with Enda Kenny.

Junior Class – Happy Haunted Halloween

What an autumn term we have had, so much work, fun, challenges, learning and friendship.

Back refreshed from the summer holiday all the children were quick to get back to the school routine, but not everything was the same. Much work had been done over our two-week summer break in the school to refresh and renew the school itself. New hardwood floors for our classrooms, new sash windows for our Georgian façade, new bathrooms with gorgeous shiny tiles we love to touch and a wondrous new Snack Café that makes afternoon snack a delightful community affair.

Autumn Term – Snack Cafe

A key element of the Montessori educational philosophy centres on the children forming a community of learners, and of course with children learning does not stop once the “class time” ends. Modelling and acquiring grace and courtesy, sensitivity to others needs, etiquette, patience, tolerance and above all kindness. All of these qualities are in much display in our new Snack Café

We use our snack café in the afternoon. Each table of children in the café take it in turn to come to the snack stand, patiently queuing to select the elements of their healthy snack before returning to eat with their friends old and young. The young diners are given the freedom to choose what they wish to eat and drink. Displaying the independence to pick their utensils and carry them gracefully back to the table. The children model great awareness of each other as the older children assist their younger community members to choose and carry their food. It is a great opportunity to perfect good manners and tolerance in this lovely community mealtime setting in a fun and relaxing atmosphere. All in all it is a pleasure to be part of I’m sure you can see.

So what have we been getting up to in our classrooms? Well let us fill you in.

Our nursery is busier than ever, lots of lovely new learners coming to join our more seasoned nursery students. The ever patient and kind Lisa and the fun and creative Magna keep everyone engaged and happy.

Nursery Class – Sensorial Structures

With a lovely mix of newcomers and second year students the settling in period is gentle and comfortable.

New students watching the engaged and active learning of the seasoned nursery are happy to get stuck into the inviting work displayed on the bright and welcoming shelves. Of course knowing they are the “big children” in the group keeps the returning students focused, as they love to be able to demonstrate the work to the new children and show them how to move in the room and find (and replace) what they need.

Our full stock of Montessori materials are getting lots of use, in this classroom the focus is on perfecting gross motor movements, honing our sensorial learning and expanding our language skills, alongside the constant development of socialisation and grace and courtesy skills. The older children in the room are experiencing the start of what Montessori would call the “explosion into writing” as they show great interest and aptitude in mark making, tracing their sounds and making efforts to copy their names and words in the environment.

The nursery class room is a living gallery of the children’s work, for many of the children in this room the nursery is their first experience of a group environment, and so displaying their art, and photos of themselves, like those on the birthday Board and in the hallway gives them a sense of belonging and community that is vital for their self-esteem and integration as an individual of importance to the class group.

Here is a gallery of images from the Nursery students autumn term.

Moving up to the Junior Class students in the preparatory school, who have become a lean learning machine! Again a group who are greatly benefiting from key concepts of the Montessori environment which beautifully compliment the natural capacity of children to soak up information and assimilate it to grasp amazing concepts in an effortless way.

Junior Class – Writing samples

Montessori observed that children at this stage have essential need of movement in the environment. The freedom to move, at will, allows the students the space and time to integrate the concepts and ideas they are observing and experiencing from their work with the materials in a gentle and holistic manner. The junior classroom is filled with unique and interesting learning opportunities for the children to work with alone, once they have received a demonstration from Aoife or Sinead, or with a peer to share the experience.

Peer learning is very important at this age, the children in the junior class are developmentally

Junior Class – Birthday Board

geared to make a community of friends, the hustle and bustle of a Montessori class is perfect for this as the children are free to work with anyone they choose so they can move from working with one peer to a different piece of work with another peer or work alone if that suits them better in that moment. This easy engagement and disengagement with their classmates gives the children ample opportunity to perfect their social skills, boosting their confidence and self-esteem in social situations.

With a multi age range classroom group activities are always fun, two occasions for group work in this classroom are circle time and art work. Circle time is a fantastic supportive environment for the children to begin to discover their own opinions on topics and to voice them in an appropriate manner; it is also a perfect situation in which to practice the art of listening to others. Another fantastic area for expression is art; the children in the junior class really enjoy the large and individual art projects where self-expression, language, fine motor and social skills are all enmeshed in an entertaining and thought-provoking way.

Here is a gallery of images from the junior class students autumn term.

As usual the senior class are taking learning to new perspectives. A very hands on an eager bunch in the class make for an active and stimulating environment, of course Ashley & Evan are more than happy to keep the ideas coming and really understand how to ask just the right question to have the student dig deep within themselves and push their learning in a remarkable way.

It would be impossible to tell you about all the topics and themes our study has brought us in contact with, in this age group independent study is the order of the day. The students take individual topics or perspectives on topics and using all the resources and materials in the well-appointed environment can engage in project work learning to follow their interest. In the senior class the learners, accustomed to self paced study can pursue a topic and in that pursuit are refining all the core curriculum aspects, history, geography, maths, science and language are all integral to the self-study projects, but when approached from the viewpoint of the child’s own interest nothing feels enforced, it is a very natural learning that enhances the learners own vision of themselves as capable and motivated students.

Senior Class – Our Personal Timelines

The beauty of the Montessori classroom is when you see the blended learning happening, there is no “stand alone” subject, the children profit from all the subjects in a holistic manner, languages are practiced in the investigating of a maths problem, art can contain elements of science or history, Mandarin class can encourage exploration of art history, as witnessed in the children’s art explorations on the theme of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”, they used the wolfhair brushes from our Chinese calligraphy classes and their knowledge of the mandarin characters to illustrate their adaptations with the characters for Happy Halloween. It is this kind of integrated thinking and problem solving that will stand to them in their futures as effective individuals in society.

Senior Class – Fire Safety

I have to say one of my favourite projects to witness has been the personal timelines from each student. History and the exact passage of time can be a difficult concept for this age group, and as such a wonderful way to make it concrete and to make it personal is for the children to make a time line of their own life. The students with their family selected photos that marked the each passing year of their lives, it is a lovely opportunity to pass on stories which the children love to relay to their classmates as they compete the project in the classroom. Seeing and retelling the narrative of their lives gives the student a fantastic sense of the bond that exists in Hedley between the school and home settings, something which helps strengthen the importance of study to the young student, a vital reaffirmation to carry with them as they progress through education.

Another wonderful learning occasion arose when we had a visit from the fire safety officer; the senior class students showing great interest in his work were treated to a talk on fire safety and a hands-on demonstration of the use of fire extinguishers. Other than the very practical use of the demonstration, giving the students the confidence to handle a fire extinguisher in the event one is needed, it sparked conversation on force, propulsion, temperature, chemical properties and combustion. All topics no doubt will be explored in full over the coming weeks, its clear a big impression was made on these young scientists.

Here is a gallery of images from the senior class students autumn term.

Our final piece of news is regarding the Witches Walk, which occurred just before the midterm break. We have many traditions in Hedley Park, it is a wonderful way to mark the passing of the year for children, and gives our families the opportunity to spend time together strengthen the bonds that being in the school create.

Witches Walk 2014 – enjoying our friends

Our Witches Walk takes place on the morning of our midterm break; we assemble at the gates of the school and walk to the wonderful amenity on our doorstep that is Merrion Square. Where we meet the kind but confused Witch who lost her list to create the spell that can take her home.

Witches Walk 2014 – the Witch reads her list

Our search of the park for the ingredients in her list take us to the four corners and we all have time to get involved and even sing a song or say a poem to help us on the quest. Finally we gather at the steps and help the Witch to decant the ingredients and perform her spell. She can now find her way home and in return we get lovely treats to share before we go home to enjoy a few days with our families.

Through the year we have more events, some as dramatic and exciting as the witches walk and some a little more sedate, but all serve to bind the community that is Hedley and leave memories of the fun and learning that takes place here indelibly etched into our hearts.

Keep an eye on the front page of our website for notice of upcoming events, or even download our calendar to your smart phone to receive updates and reminders.

Here is a gallery of images from the 2014 Witches Walk.

Fun, Treats, Costumes and of course that Wicked Witch will be out in full force!

If you are coming along please confirm on our Facebook event page below:

Witches Walk Facebook Event

Senior Class: Flat Stanley Display

Spring term has flown by and we are almost into the Summer term! What an exciting and action packed time we’ve had. New arrivals, Lifecycles, Open Day, Art Exhibition, Lego Trip, so much learning, fun and friendship.

Enjoying the fluffy new arrival

Where to begin? We left you last with the news that we had received some eggs and a hatchery. We can tell you that we witnessed two chicks emerge from their shells and they were proudly named Niall and Zayn (there really was only “One Direction” we could go after that) it was fantastic to witness the chicks’ hatch and observe them get stronger day by day. They seemed to enjoy their custom made home in our classroom. Once they were big enough they went back to join their flock but we really delighted in having them in the class with us and we all learned so much from their time with us.

Daisy’s egg hatched

Another new arrival was from our school mascot Daisy Duck who found a little companion Diddle, hatched from an egg filled with little chocolate treats! What a lovely surprise for us all.

Senior Class: The Art of the Brick trip

The senior class had a wonderful trip to the Art of the Brick in the Ambassador. We love Lego, it is one of our favourite free play toys, it has so much to offer from design and imagination to cooperative play and cognitive skills Lego is one of the primary “go to” play resources. The exhibition featured many 3D models made from Lego and amazing artwork reproduced with the iconic plastic bricks. It gave us lots of inspiration to do something really amazing with our Lego bricks back at school.

Speaking of art we were getting pretty creative ourselves. Working hard all month on canvas, each child had created a work of art of their own. Subjects, colour scheme, and media all chosen by the individual child we worked on our beautiful creations with the aim of an exhibition for our parent and family community to enjoy.

Welcoming our guests to the Art Exhibition

On the 16^th April we were ready to receive our guests, with the senior class putting their years of grace and courtesy lessons to good use and took it upon themselves to act as silver service hosts of the event.  Bedecked accordingly they circulated amongst the parents and friends offering canapés and drinks, ensuring a good time was had by all. The exhibition itself was a sell out and we raised €1300 for new equipment to further assist in our learning.

Flat Stanley goes viral!

On the topic of interactions with the wider community, the senior class also embarked on one of our favourite projects, Flat Stanley! We have such a wonderful culturally diverse senior class it seemed to be the perfect way for everyone to share a little more of their background and family connections worldwide by sending Flat Stanley on his travels to report back to us all. This year we had the happy coincidence of benefitting from some of our schoolmates that have left us to continue their studies in other countries and still keep in touch with their Hedley Park friends.

Flat Stanley, never one to be left behind the times also took some virtual travels as suggested by one of out teachers Aoife, and went on an internet tour of our wonderful Facebook followers. He was shared 30 times and visited New Zealand, Jordan, various cities in the USA & Canada, had a mini tour of the UK & Ireland, before heading to Germany & the Netherlands.

Of course that wasn’t the only project on display at our Open Day, each year we think we’ve seen the most amazing projects and work from the children, who really relish creating wonderful and unique pieces to highlight their learning over the past month, but this Open Day the students surpassed all plans and came up with some really wonderful projects and pieces to show to the Hedley community.

Reception Class: Practical Life Shelves

Starting with the youngest in our Reception class, it is here that the work is at its most concrete, the children love to work with the practical life an sensorial pieces, their shelves filled with wonderful activities to inspire and motivate them to work on elementary movements vital to later learning and expression. The polishing and folding work area has been expanded, young children love to be more involved in their own care, cleaning, folding, tidying and keeping things in their environment in order helps children to find their place and value in the group, whether at home or in school.

Reception Class: Polishing & Folding work.

The skills learned in practical life activities assist the child to refine their movements and logic enabling them to successfully complete tasks around the home and class, thereby increasing the child’s self esteem and concentration.  Role Play, another popular area in the classroom, is a fantastic tool for expression, the listening skills, the verbal reasoning, imagination and turn taking are all vital elements in building social skills and verbal capacity needed to make successful relationships.

Reception Class: South America Continent Display

Our youngest learners also took on a study of the continent of South America, using their natural interest in chocolate (who doesn’t like chocolate) as a key to their learning, they found out about the continent and its people. Using pictures as discussion starters and stories of the animals, foods and people in the continent the children get a sense of the region that they will build on year upon year as they continue to study each continent in more detail as their interests change and grow.

Identity and belonging are natural cornerstones of the Montessori approach, each child innately discovering their natural abilities and finding their space as equals in the group. A wonderful activity for the children was on display, “Guess Who?” the children brought in a photo of themselves as new babies which they could discuss and figure out which picture matched which child. It gives the children an opportunity to discuss their families and histories with each other, bringing mementoes of their family into the school setting makes the daily transitions from home to school natural.

Reception Class: Guess Who Display

The Junior class had their own transition project, “My week with Bunny” saw the children spend a week with the class mascot, recording the process with photos and writing on their display posters. The children could then present the bunny posters to their classmates, sharing the story of their week and what happens in their family time through the activities of bunny’s visit.

Junior Class: Bringing Bunny Home Display

The students in the junior class are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to using the amazing

Junior Class: We Love Our Work

selection of Montessori materials they have at their disposal. They get immense pleasure from the concrete learning that comes from working with the materials. Practical life, sensorial, maths and language are all used daily, alongside the culture subjects of history and geography. The learning that comes from the materials can often be hard to explain to those who are not in the class to witness the concentration and skills building daily as there is no “product” at the end of the session, so our teachers Aoife & Sinead decided to record the junior class love of Montessori materials in a photo collage.

Junior Class: Butterfly Habitat

Our most exciting project has been our Butterfly lifecycle, it has been fascinating to watch the evolution from larvae to caterpillars, cocoons to butterfly. We have been so drawn to the mini beast area, so it has been an amazing experience to see the changes daily, as the caterpillars grow bigger, climbing to the top of the jar to begin their metamorphosis from cocoon to butterfly. A project, which combines science and history, observation and prediction, recording and wonder. We really have been so inspired.

Senior Class: Ecosystem Display

Not to be outdone the Seniors had a remarkable line up of learning achievements and outcomes on display. We discussed our Flat Stanley project earlier, but another major project combining some of what Montessori referred to as the Great Lessons. The importance of the Sun, and from it a study of the water cycle and the growth of plants and the delicate balances at work in our own ecosystem. This was an action research project, the learners in the senior class were inspired to reproduce a model of our ecosystem they discovered on their research. Using recycled lemonade bottles they built a perfect working example of how a natural ecosystem can be self-maintaining. Anyone visiting on the day was treated to a wonderful guided tour of the ecosystem and its operation. Thankfully we captured a later presentation of the same information to the children in the junior class. Enjoy!

Here is our slideshow of images.