Cobham Montessori School

Newsletter W/C 1st June 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

NOTICES

The Power of Language

As parents, we know how quickly babies and children pick up the language that is spoken around them. Montessori education promotes a 'language-rich' environment for the young child, offering precise language which enables the child to understand their world with greater clarity and to express themselves more accurately. When children start going places without us they might come back with a new expression or turn of phrase. TV programmes can influence their vernacular (anyone noticed the odd American accent?!). Occasionally, they might come out with a word or two that we find offensive, either accidentally, or deliberately to gauge our reaction.

As a society (either culturally or within our own family unit) we decide and agree upon what is socially acceptable. The rules are often different in different environments. What is acceptable in an informal family event might not be considered appropriate for school or at a live performance for example. It is our job as parents to decide what is (and is not) appropriate, and we gently guide our children to adhere to the social landscape.

There is no single correct stance on issues like this and we hoped to explore such topics in our proposed Coffee Morning on Building Community which didn't happen before the break as the date wasn't workable for most people. So, we'll try again! With that in mind please can you let us know if a Coffee Morning, Lunchtime Zoom or Evening Zoom would generally be better. We shall then propose some sates. Community discussion will only be worthwhile if the community participates!

Product Recalls

We have been notified that a number of toy products have been contaminated with asbestos - there is nothing on the list that we have at school; however, you may wish to check the list yourselves to see if you have anything at home. Product recall list

THE WEEK IN SCHOOL

Children's House

Last week in the Children’s House, we continued exploring rhymes and playing rhyming games, which the children have enjoyed very much.

In Yoga on Tuesday the children enjoyed Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Hare"; that famous fable that teaches "slow and steady wins the race!". Miss Hayley particularly emphasised the value of perseverance and encouraged everyone to keep trying even when something feels hard!

We welcomed a parent who read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to the children. This tender story created a moving discussion and offered an opportunity to reflect on kindness, generosity, and friendship. The children, however, were particularly concerned about why the boy chopped the tree down. One child commented thoughtfully, “We don’t chop trees.”

The weather also created much excitement for the children as we observed the sky changing from sunny to grey, rainy, and even hailing. “Look, there’s ice coming down from the clouds!” one child exclaimed. We took this opportunity to talk about different expressions used to describe heavy rain — from “it’s raining cats and dogs” to “it’s bucketing down.” The children eagerly added their own imaginative expressions such as, “It’s raining bricks,” “It’s raining like dinosaur time,” and “It’s raining tea.” Another child said, “It’s raining flowers,” which a friend explained would be when it is only light rain.

On Thursday, the children made ground coffee sachets to use as fertiliser — “a healthy snack for plants.” The children have been grinding coffee beans for several weeks now, and we hope your plants enjoy this special treat.

Last Thursday, we took the children for a walk to practise using our walking rope. We walked through the alleyways, contemplating nature. The children shared their knowledge with their friends: 'This is a fig tree. I have one at home.', 'This is a magnolia' and another child said 'They have beautiful flowers.', 'This is a Christmas tree. In France, its always Christmas because I see them every time I go.'

In sports last week everyone was full of energy in lots of jogging and running warm-ups. These were followed by a somewhat chaotic game of tag rugby! One of the younger friends was cheered on and applauded by all at the end as she ran to the finish line exclaiming "i WON!, I WON!"

The children had great fun on our school trip. As always, the coach journey was the most exciting part of all.

At Sayers Croft, the children took part in an Earth Walk, where they used their senses to explore nature. First, they used their sense of sight with the help of mirrors and a friend guiding them. One child exclaimed, “I am walking on the sky!

They then used a tuning fork to make dry leaves vibrate and create sounds.

Next, the children took part in shelter building, which in some cases transformed into very fancy bug hotels! One child explained, “This is the breakfast table, and this is the garden...”

After lunch, most of the children still had energy left so we all went bouldering and ended the day exploring a Maze while searching for hidden statues.

Snapshot of this week

Italian lessons at the snack table

Child 1:“We say, ‘Bene, grazie. E tu?’ Repeat with me. Bene, grazie.”

Child 2:“Bene, grazie…”

Proud moments

Child 1: “Miss, I am nearly on blue reading books!”

Child 2:“I’m a story writer! I’m writing a book!”

Planning for the holidays

Child1: I might stay for a sleep under

Two children writing a letter

Child 1: Oh, you are learning how to write in cursive! Well done!

Child 2: I know (BIG SMILE)

Child 1 to Teacher: Now 'X' knows how to write in cursive!!

Our very own class pet

Child: Miss, a bumble bear!!!

Miss: Oh, a bumble bee

Child: NO, it's pur pet. We call it bumble bear.

Elementary

In the last few weeks before the half-term the children have been busily completing work for our annual publication. Every year we publish a book of the children's writing and this year they have been particularly keen to contribute. With Bikeability last week and the school trip this week there have been many days out of the classroom, so children have had to plan and focus on getting their projects and larger writing ideas down on paper before the deadline of half-term.

Some children have noticed that although they really want to get their work finished, it is the worry of the deadline itself which interferes with being able to focus on getting the work completed in time! Others have really responded well to the limited time, writing far more than usual and taking the task of editing far more seriously than in the past. We wonder if any parents have experienced that feeling in their work lifetime!?

The half-term limit has also helped some children really push to get their bigger project work finished before the break and it has been wonderful to see weeks of research, drawing and writing coming together at last in the final result.

Our D.O.G. discussion in the last few weeks has been a focus on commitment to shared standards and, most recently, altruism; the selfless concern for the well-being of others. We have been helping the children to place the needs of others before their own and adopt a more selfless approach to their work within our small community.

Stage 1: I'm concerned with my own comfort or gain in most situations. I can be resentful or argumentative when I'm asked to place the group needs ahead of my personal preferences.

Stage 2: I sometimes consider the needs of other individuals or the community. I can sacrifice my preferences to the needs of the group, with support and encouragement.

Stage 3: I recognise and accept contribution and service as my legitimate duties. I respond willingly to calls for aid. I contribute and serve intentionally and cheerfully

Stage 4: I am consistently aware of the needs of the group. I constantly seek ways to contribute. I need to serve in order to feel fulfilled.

After much anticipation we finally had the joy of the school trip. After multiple planning and information sessions, the children finally got the opportunity to spend the day at Sayers Croft. We were so lucky with the weather on the day: glorious sunshine with a mild, breeze - perfect to spend in the shade of trees and out in nature. The children loved securing themselves to the woodland ropes (think go-ape), then on to bouldering where they got to challenge their climbing skills and play lots of games. There was lots of teamwork and patient encouragement of those who found some of the activities more challenging. After lunch was an opportunity to build and test out a Roman ballista catapult - throwing wet sponges as a treat! Finally, we ended up in the maze with our Children's House friends. As always the highlight of the day is the coach trip although it was a little quieter (apart from an exuberant sing-song) on the way home!

We hope you are having a lovely half-term and we look forward to seeing you all again on Monday 1st June.

Kind regards,

Yvonne