Southwest Suburban Montessori School in Palos Park
Our mission is quite simple: To introduce each of our children to the world while fostering independence, creativity, responsibility and an enduring love of learning.
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Things you should know before you go . . .
Arrive with Fully Charged Phone
All Raffles Cash/Check Only
Let’s Give Back This Season
Please bring a new toy to be donated to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital.
By Ms. Sonoe
The Extended Day children recently took a trip to Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, located in the beautiful town of Evanston. The museum offers an outstanding display of artifacts – a full size birchbark canoe, an eagle feather headdress, a tipi, a weaving, a button blanket and a vast collection of Katchina dolls and jewelry from all regions. This collection seeks to immerse and educate us on the experience of Native American history, culture and arts.
In the permanent exhibit, we journeyed through five major regions — Woodlands, Plains, Southwest, Northwest, and Arctic — with fascinating stories and discovered the art, costumes, tools of the tribes and the customs of the first peoples and their thriving cultures. On the second floor, there was a replica of a hunting lodge wigwam. We were very fortunate to step into it to experience the life style of the Woodlands tribal people. What is so great about this museum is that the children can physically touch and wear the authentic artifacts.
Finally, we ended our journey with a 
new activity called Ledger Art. It is a continuation of traditional pictorial art. Plains Indian artists recorded battles, heroic deeds, ceremonies and everyday customs as their way of life began passing into history. The children drew a picture of a significant or memorable event in their past, present or future to create their own unique ledger art.
It is a sophisticated museum that really demonstrates the breadth of Native American culture and presents a very enriched, hands-on and meaningful experience for everybody. Also this field trip was truly a wonderful introduction as we will study the Pilgrims and the Native Americans curriculum in November.
In order to give you a broader insight and better understanding of your child’s time at Southwest Suburban Montessori, view the November curriculum here.
This is certainly an evening you won’t want to miss! Everyone is welcome. You may contact our office if you would like to purchase tickets.
The auction is a lively, fun social evening. The admission cost covers all food, beer and wine; and the bidding can be electronically placed on a wide variety of gift baskets, sporting events, gift cards, children’s items, spa visits or dinners. The list goes on. You won’t want to miss any part of this event that supports the children of Southwest Suburban Montessori!
The children always enjoy a visit from the Palos Park Fire Department. Thank you, Fireman Holdefer, for your presentation on fire safety!
By Ms. Amanda
It’s been a very busy fall so far with SWSM’s gym and yoga program.
The first few weeks were spent doing gross motor assessments to evaluate the children’s skills with jumping, skipping, climbing and more. We then transitioned into a series of games and activities that developed balance and coordination. The children really enjoyed the portion of the class when I let them create their own game and decide on the rules themselves.
A new segment has been added to the gym class this year by bringing in some practical life exercises. Now there will be time for shoe tying, zippering and learning how to put on their own coat just to name a few. Our gym classes are always held outside unless the weather is extreme. So be sure to dress them accordingly, and proper shoes are encouraged as well. Ms. Stacy’s West class has gym on Mondays and yoga on Fridays. Ms. Mary Lou’s and Ms. Sonoe’s East classes have yoga on Mondays and gym on Fridays.
In yoga we have found movement by playing some of our favorite games such as Yoga Story, where the kids shared what they did over the summer by creating poses to tell the story. We have also spent time talking about feelings or emotions and how they affect the things we do and say. Afterwards we tied yoga and body language into these feelings to see if we could tell what someone was thinking. As always, I look forward to another fun year watching the kids change and grow and allowing them the freedom to do it at their own pace.
The annual Pumpkin Hunt is a fun tradition here at SWSM! It is our way of celebrating the fall season and Halloween Holiday. In lieu of children wearing costumes to school during the week, we ask you to bring them in their Halloween outfits on Sunday, October 28th, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. (no rain date). Children, siblings, parents, grandparents are invited to dress for the event! We gather on the playground, the perfect spot to truly enjoy the children’s enthusiasm for the holiday. Please bring your favorite savory finger food or sweet and healthy treat to share. There will be a pumpkin for all of the boys and girls to find and decorate.
Dave Herzog has been involved in the art of puppetry since receiving a toy marionette from his father when he was four years old. As a full-time professional puppeteer for over 40 years, Dave has performed thousands of shows in theaters, amusement parks, schools and libraries nationwide. Our own variety show presented by the all-time favorite Dave Herzog’s Marionettes will be on Wednesday, October 31st, for the preschoolers. The cost of the in-school field trip is $7 per child. Please submit the payment to your child’s teacher by October 30th.
Say Cheese!
School Picture Days
October 17th & 18th
Class, individual and sibling photos will be taken on the following dates:
Sibling portraits will be taken on the day of your youngest child’s picture day.
