MSLF Re-Enrollment 2016-2017
January 21, 2016

Dear MSLF community,

Re-enrollment time is here! We are busy preparing your child’s 2016-2017 enrollment information. Packets have been mailed, and are expected to arrive in mailboxes by Friday, January 15.

The deadline for re-enrollment for the 2016 – 2017 School Year is

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11.

Why is it important to complete enrollment so early? Even though our current school year is only half over, planning is underway for next school year. Part of this planning involves setting a budget, and hiring faculty. In order to know how many teachers, assistants and other staff will be needed, we have to know approximately how many children we will have enrolled. We also need to know how many spaces in our classrooms need to be reserved for our current students, so that we know how many new students we can welcome in the coming year. And all of that work is happening now in the Enrollment, Admission and Business offices. We are looking forward, to MSLF’s 50th year, and doing our best to plan for our continued success, as a school and as a leader in Montessori education.

So, please watch for your child’s enrollment envelope to arrive in the mail. Review the newly designed packet carefully. If there is anything we at MSLF can do to help answer a question which helps to inform your decision for next school year, please reach out to us to gain the answer you need to make the best decision for your child and for your family.

Our best wishes to you, and we appreciate your family making the commitment to a Montessori education and look forward to the opportunity to continue educating your child in the 2016-2017 school year.

 

By Teresa Pavelich June 2, 2025
At MSLF, overnight trips become an important part of Montessori learning beginning in Lower Elementary. Each trip is carefully planned to meet the developmental needs of students in the second and third plane of development , with each overnight trip getting progressively longer to ease children into these independent journeys away from their families. These aren't just trips - they're carefully crafted opportunities for students to discover who they are, what they're capable of, and how they can contribute to their community and the wider world. Beginning in their first year of Lower Elementary, students take their first MSLF overnight trip to Nature’s Classroom in Wisconsin. For many Lower Elementary students, this trip represents their first nights away from home. During their trip they explore the outdoors, work together in groups, use their practical life skills during community meals, and grow! It’s this first overnight trip for MSLF students where parents and staff remark how students come back almost transformed after being able to develop their independence in a supportive environment. Our Upper Elementary classroom has embarked on overnight trips to both Camp Timber-lee in Wisconsin and The Country Experience at Amstutz Family Farm in Elizabeth, IL. Both locations provide students with increasing opportunities to apply their practical life skills, like checking the weather to ensure they have weather-appropriate gear for their trip. Every task empowers them to develop self-reliance and problem-solving skills. These trips are also opportunities for the students to get to know one another and build strong relationships with their peers and with the adults in their classroom. Adolescent Program students at MSLF have opportunities to visit both Springfield, IL and Washington, DC . These overnight trips tie directly into their studies – connecting curriculum learned in the classroom to experiences in the wider community. They often take their learning on the road, for example by watching a legislative session in action in Springfield to see which bills are passed during their trip or presenting their research papers at monuments in Washington, DC. And for these students, the skills they built on their trips in Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary are put to work, as they pack their own bags, learn more about public transportation, and plan their daily itineraries to make the most out of their visit. Experiences like these at MSLF support the child’s independence, laying the groundwork for transitions in later life: the start of high school, going away to college, a first job, and beyond. As they conquer challenges outside their comfort zone, their confidence soars, laying the foundation for the autonomy and independence they will continue to utilize throughout their Montessori experience and beyond. It’s good for parents, too, to see how truly capable our children are!
By Teresa Pavelich March 7, 2025
Forbes Article highlights mental health benefits of Montessori education