Short Street - Activities

It is with great excitement that we at Mongrace Montessori House, Short Street hosted the Annual Exhibition on 14th & 15th January, 2012.

The visitors took a ride on "The Entertainment Express", stopping at "The Food Station", "Summer, Story, Rhymes, Cartoon, Zoo, Games, Picnic, Carnival and Learning is Fun stations. The layout of the visual elements was extremely inviting and it led visitors on a tour along two trails: one was display of Montessori Materials and the other, exhibits of the different projects.

The Montessori Materials and use of apparatus was patiently explained and presented by the teachers to the general public, parents, teachers and students from Montessori schools. The exhibition was enriched with the presence of our Chairperson Ms. S. Ghosh, the Kolkata Sheriff, Dr. Indrajit Roy, Ms. Bulbul Roy, Honorary Joint Secretary of the Academy of Fine Arts, Ms. Runu Ghosh, Joint Secretary of the West Bengal Housing Department, Dr. Maitri Das, Principal of Hartley School and many other Principals and Educationists.

The universality of Dr. Montessori's message was felt at every angle of the exhibit. The visitors felt that the exhibit was very joyful and they were proud to be Montessori teachers or parents. Some felt that they now have a broader understanding of Montessori as a way of life, where it can go and how it can lead. The parents were very happy to know how their children were being taught at school. The teachers explained and demonstrated how they use the apparatus for teaching. Some new innovative methods were also pointed out by them. Mini book fair was an added attraction this year.

The congratulatory messages in the Visitors' books revealing appreciation, gratitude and happiness served to encourage and motivate us all. Parents were "positively amazed to see the fun filled activities, projects and the hospitality." They were convinced that their children have got the "best sculptors".

Through presentations and display of Montessori apparatus and teaching aids parents happy were to realize that the teachers at our Montessori House , were dedicated to their commitment of the education of the whole child.

To give credence to the principle of actively engaging students and not passively spoon feeding them the festivals of Janamashtami and Eid were celebrated at Mongrace Montessori House in the month of August . These celebrations brought an awareness among children of traditional customs emphasizing the theme of thankfulness , helping the needy and love.

During the Janamashtami celebrations the tiny tots donned the role of gopis, Krishna, Radha and also Yashodha Maiyaa. Krishna's childhood scenes, depicted through songs and scintillating dances enthralled the audience.

The dress code for the day was Indian traditional clothes and parents responded enthusiastically by sending their wards to school dressed most suitably to the occasion. Through enactment of scenes and role play children were made aware of the fact that Eid means happiness and the festival signifies joy and universal brotherhood. Tiny feet danced to the rhythmic beats of " Dekho chaand nikal aaya" and "Eid Mubaarak"

The teachers most successfully weaved in the theme of these festive days into their curriculum. Children made matakaas using newspaper cut outs and coloured them with thumb prints . Cotton wool was stuck on these matkaas to give the effect of butter. "Krishna loved butter" This fact led to the explanation of how we get butter.

For thematic teaching on the Eid celebration day cut outs of crescent moon were stuck in scrap books. Different shapes of the moon were discussed and " shapes" were thus learnt and absorbed by tiny minds. Story telling and conversation classes had Eid related themes.

In today's techno savvy world how could technology be left behind? Power point presentations on Jnamashtami and Eid were prepared by the computer teacher and shown to the children of all environments. These really captivated the little ones.

Mongrace reflects a highly diverse student body and here we make every effort to promote mutual respect and develop a global perspective.

On the 5th of September Teachers' Day was celebrated in the true Mongrace spirit. Through a song students gave a tribute to their teachers. In the traditional Mongrace style teachers put up a wonderful programme comprising of songs, dances and a wonderful skit. On a newly prepared display board "thank you" message was displayed by creating a garden composition with handprints of children portrayed as flowers. Inspiring quotes and messages were delivered to the teachers through a power point presentation. A guessing game was also played through the Power point slides where teachers were made to guess the name of the teacher when only a part of the face,( like nose or eyes) was shown to them.