Welcome To The 2016-2017 School Year, From Ann
August 28, 2016

August 28, 2016

Dear MSLF Community,

As I have absorbed this summer’s steady stream of dismaying news stories, I have also reflected on how much I appreciate the strong-mindedness that unifies our Montessori community. I know for sure that we do not all agree politically or morally or religiously, or about climate change. We don’t even all agree about grammar! But we do agree that it is our common and crucial responsibility to think for ourselves, to act on our values, and to teach our children to do so for themselves.

To “walk our talk” on behalf of conscience and our children is to live the tenets of a Montessori education. Mahatma Ghandi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” While few of us adults benefited from a Montessori education ourselves, we live Montessori principles with our children every time we act to support the healthy development of their brain, body, and character. This takes self-discipline on our part, but it is and will be easy for our children!

We cannot promise our Montessori children that they will avoid problems as they grow up into the world. But we can promise them that they will be equipped to face and resolve problems as we try to do: with honesty, compassion, determination, and courage. And because we are providing them with a Montessori education, at school and at home, they will be adaptable people who respond to change constructively, because their characters will be well trained, they will understand society, and they will know how to learn.

For 50 years, MSLF has engaged children and their families in “the love of learning.” Whatever this year brings to the world, we will bring it more of this vital engagement that is at the heart of the Montessori School of Lake Forest community. Thank you for being a member of this wonderful community.

I wish you an excellent 2016-2017 school year, and I can’t wait to see you tomorrow!

 

 

Ann Jordahl
Executive Director

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