Central Montessori School
Birthday Celebrations
These thoughtful celebrations combine your child’s “first history” with scientific information, music, dramatic performance and general happiness into a short and lovely narrative of your child’s life on earth. You are welcome to bring other significant people from your child’s life with you. Check here to determine what should be done before and during this special time. Please find information about invitations and friends as well.
Primary Level: Walk Around the Sun
During the planning stage…
1. Contact the office and ask about a date and time. The front desk will check on this for you and confirm.
2. Bring individual servings of healthy food …or sometimes food. No juice boxes, please. (Students with food preferences/restrictions may have special treats stored in class. They can eat these during these special occasions.)
3. Select and bring a picture representing each year of your child’s life. If your child is now 5 years old, bring 5 pictures (including one for the day (s)he was born).
4. Wait in the office until someone invites you to come into the room and sit down in the chair offered you once you are in the classroom.
Once the ceremony begins…
1. The lead teacher will lead you through a series of questions. When prompted, hold up the picture that shows your child when (s)he was first born and provide one short comment about this event. (Example: When Sally was born, it was a bright and sunny day in Richmond, VA.)
2. Your primary child, carrying a globe, will walk around the “sun” (candle in the middle of the circle of children) and the children will sing a song. Your elementary child will place information cards on their own individual timeline.
3. Once your child has completed one orbit around the sun (or the next year), the teacher will prompt you to show another picture of when your child was one year old and to provide another short comment about something wonderful your child did when (s)he was one year old.
4.Continue until all of the pictures have been shown.
After the ceremony…
1.Teachers can help serve any food you brought in.
2.Take all items that you have brought with you home.
Lower Elementary Level: Personal Timeline
Elementary students create their own linear personal timeline with photos they bring from home and parent narratives. Parents are invited to have lunch with their child, as well, on this special day.
During the planning stage…
1. Contact the office and ask about a date and time. The front desk will check on this for you and confirm.
2. Plan on bringing in individual servings of healthy food …or sometimes food. Students with food preferences/restrictions may already have special treats stored in class. They can eat these during these special occasions. No juice boxes, please.
3. Select and bring a picture representing each year of your child’s life. If your child is eight years old, bring 8 pictures (including one for the day (s)he was born).
4. Wait in the office or library until someone invites you to come into the room and sit down in the chair.
Once the ceremony begins…
The lead teacher (or older “host”) will lead you through a series of questions. When prompted, hold up the picture that shows your child when (s)he was first born and provide one short comment about this event. (Example: When Sally was born, it was a bright and sunny day in Richmond, VA.) Your child will place the photograph on her/his timeline. Repeat!
After the ceremony…
1. Your child and a friend may help serve any foods you have brought in.
2. Take all items that you have brought with you home.
Upper Elementary Level
Students do not generally set up their time line) because it now takes so long to tell their birthday story… but parents should try to join us for a lunch (pizza has made an appearance from time to time). Feel free to send in or bring a special food and photos that we will display on this special day.
Middle School Level
Students are able to arrange (with your blessing) a pizza lunch or prepare a special meal at school (send in ingredients and recipe). Please plan to join us! Feel free to send in or bring photos that we will display on this special day.
Invitations
Central will gladly pass out invitations to your child’s classmates if all children are invited. These should be left at the front desk no later than two weeks before your child’s party. We will place the invitations directly into the children’s bags to take home. We ask the children to not discuss birthdays at school because all children may not be able to attend and unfortunately, young children do not understand when they are not invited or cannot attend a party- we do not want hurt feelings.
Special Note about Friends
Hosting a party away from home can be a bit tricky but it also means that little territorial children are not asked to share their personal toys with everyone…often they are willing to share with those “extra special” friend(s) and no one else… Please consider hosting gender neutral parties and invite both girls and boys. This doubles the number of potential friends your child might have. It also means more inclusiveness and an increased sense of belonging for everyone
Birthday Celebrations
These thoughtful celebrations combine your child’s “first history” with scientific information, music, dramatic performance and general happiness into a short and lovely narrative of your child’s life on earth. You are welcome to bring other significant people from your child’s life with you. Check here to determine what should be done before and during this special time. Please find information about invitations and friends as well.
Primary Level: Walk Around the Sun
During the planning stage…
1. Contact the office and ask about a date and time. The front desk will check on this for you and confirm.
2. Bring individual servings of healthy food …or sometimes food. No juice boxes, please. (Students with food preferences/restrictions may have special treats stored in class. They can eat these during these special occasions.)
3. Select and bring a picture representing each year of your child’s life. If your child is now 5 years old, bring 5 pictures (including one for the day (s)he was born).
4. Wait in the office until someone invites you to come into the room and sit down in the chair offered you once you are in the classroom.
Once the ceremony begins…
1. The lead teacher will lead you through a series of questions. When prompted, hold up the picture that shows your child when (s)he was first born and provide one short comment about this event. (Example: When Sally was born, it was a bright and sunny day in Richmond, VA.)
2. Your primary child, carrying a globe, will walk around the “sun” (candle in the middle of the circle of children) and the children will sing a song. Your elementary child will place information cards on their own individual timeline.
3. Once your child has completed one orbit around the sun (or the next year), the teacher will prompt you to show another picture of when your child was one year old and to provide another short comment about something wonderful your child did when (s)he was one year old.
4.Continue until all of the pictures have been shown.
After the ceremony…
1.Teachers can help serve any food you brought in.
2.Take all items that you have brought with you home.
Lower Elementary Level: Personal Timeline
Elementary students create their own linear personal timeline with photos they bring from home and parent narratives. Parents are invited to have lunch with their child, as well, on this special day.
During the planning stage…
1. Contact the office and ask about a date and time. The front desk will check on this for you and confirm.
2. Plan on bringing in individual servings of healthy food …or sometimes food. Students with food preferences/restrictions may already have special treats stored in class. They can eat these during these special occasions. No juice boxes, please.
3. Select and bring a picture representing each year of your child’s life. If your child is eight years old, bring 8 pictures (including one for the day (s)he was born).
4. Wait in the office or library until someone invites you to come into the room and sit down in the chair.
Once the ceremony begins…
The lead teacher (or older “host”) will lead you through a series of questions. When prompted, hold up the picture that shows your child when (s)he was first born and provide one short comment about this event. (Example: When Sally was born, it was a bright and sunny day in Richmond, VA.) Your child will place the photograph on her/his timeline. Repeat!
After the ceremony…
1. Your child and a friend may help serve any foods you have brought in.
2. Take all items that you have brought with you home.
Upper Elementary Level
Students do not generally set up their time line) because it now takes so long to tell their birthday story… but parents should try to join us for a lunch (pizza has made an appearance from time to time). Feel free to send in or bring a special food and photos that we will display on this special day.
Middle School Level
Students are able to arrange (with your blessing) a pizza lunch or prepare a special meal at school (send in ingredients and recipe). Please plan to join us! Feel free to send in or bring photos that we will display on this special day.
Invitations
Central will gladly pass out invitations to your child’s classmates if all children are invited. These should be left at the front desk no later than two weeks before your child’s party. We will place the invitations directly into the children’s bags to take home. We ask the children to not discuss birthdays at school because all children may not be able to attend and unfortunately, young children do not understand when they are not invited or cannot attend a party- we do not want hurt feelings.
Special Note about Friends
Hosting a party away from home can be a bit tricky but it also means that little territorial children are not asked to share their personal toys with everyone…often they are willing to share with those “extra special” friend(s) and no one else… Please consider hosting gender neutral parties and invite both girls and boys. This doubles the number of potential friends your child might have. It also means more inclusiveness and an increased sense of belonging for everyone
