Montessori School British Virgin Islands

A sunny day, happy Penguins and a great deal of hard work. That sums up the 2^nd Annual Little Penguins Plant Planting Party and general clean up at their campus on Fahie Hill.

Amongst other things the Little Penguins were hard at work planting fruits and vegetables in their newly acquired vegetable plot. This important activity is part of the Montessori Curriculum which includes practical life activities that enables the child to participate and be active in their own environment, thus learning skills for life. Once the fruits and vegetables have matured the children will harvest them and bring them to the table for all to share as part of their domestic science classes.

The faculty and families worked hard on beautifying the interior of this four bedroomed home set on ½ acre. At the end of the day the Little Penguins had a beautiful array of pastel coloured classrooms, indoor gym areas, nurseries and a pastel pink library, in which to learn and grow.

Century House Montessori School BVI recently supported the BVI Governments highly successful “Reading is Fun Week” with a series of special guest readers visiting each class at the schools campus on Diamond Estate.

Literacy is a strong component in the Montessori year long Curriculum and the children learn the joy of reading at an early age. They become in essence, readers for life.

Our visitors read in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Africana. The children enjoyed books from all over the world but one of the favorites was a book called “Queen Conch” read by one of our local parents.

Family, fun, fellowship and lots of hard work were the order of the day at the 9^th Annual Field of Dreams party at Century House Montessori School's campus on Diamond Estate.

There once was a field and Mrs. Morgan had a dream, a dream that is now shared by over 100 families, faculty and staff crossing two separate campuses within the Territory.

At this the schools’ 9^th Annual Field of Dreams party the focus was on beauty from within as faculty/staff/ friends/family and children enriched the interior of our “home away from home”.

There was sanding, painting, scrubbing, more sanding, cleaning, digging, laminating, planting and lots of love and laughter.

The Montessori Community here in the BVI has grown over the years and has enjoyed many happy hours in enriching not only the physical grounds but the history of all the families who share our Montessori ideals and philosophies.

Bunny ears, bunny hops and bunny songs were the order of the day at Century House Montessori School, BVI 5^th Annual Easter Presentation on 20th April 2008 at its main campus on Diamond Estate.

Family, friends and visitors watched in delight as the Casa pupils aged 3-6 performed a series of bunny related songs and dances. This was followed by the Elementary Children aged 6-12 showcasing their newly acquired talents on their Suzuki recorders and Glockenspiels.

The afternoon came to a conclusion with a well prepared Easter egg hunt and a sumptuous lunch with dishes from around the world which was served on the porch of the great room.

Well done to faculty and staff for organizing another wonderful event which will add to the Montessori Memory Banks.

Little Penguins can and most certainly did transform into little bunnies for the Little Penguins Montessori Crèche’s 1^st Annual Thumper Celebration at its campus on Fahie Hill.

Picnic baskets and blankets were laid out on the lawn where sandwiches and tea were served along with a healthy dose of love and laughter.

The Little Penguins aged from 18 months to 3 years enjoyed a traditional Easter egg hunt aided by visiting elders from the Schools Main Campus on Diamond Estate. These elders included Lucy Mobbs, Aria Creque, Danielle Archibald Gill and Sarah Kite who worked beautifully with the Little Penguins and their visitors.

Parents, Grandparents, Aunty and Uncles from far and near enjoyed the beginning of another Montessori tradition here in the BVI a tradition of love, laughter and learning that will remain in their hearts and minds for years to come.

Thanks must go to the faculty and staff for working so hard on this special event and all who attended.

BVI NATIONAL SPELLING BEE COMPETITION

Congratulations to Jude Kinkead, Chelsi-Marie Solomon and Via Donovan-Hodge for taking part in the BVI National Spelling Bee Competition and reaching the semi-finals for the second year in a row.

The semi-finals took place on 11th February 2008 at Sir Rupert Briercliffe Hall. There were 12 schools competing in a contest organised in to six rounds with two players per team, each of whom had to spell one word per round.

The CHMS, BVI team were asked to spell words such as: reprehensible, inculcate, buoyant and variegated. In Round 2 the words had a culinary theme. CHMS, BVI parents and staff braced themselves to find that Jude was asked a word he had been practicing at length: 'kohlrabi'. Chelsi-Marie ably spelt 'cinnamon' to another round of applause and loud cheering. Seven schools went on to compete for the finals. The children were pleased to be supported on the night by their family and friends and by Mrs. Morgan and other CHMS, BVI staff.

Thank you and well done to Jude, Chelsi-Marie and Via and their families and we look forward to next year's competition

Our 5th Annual Stop n' Shop on Saturday 8th December gave everyone a festive warm up to the holiday season. Children and adults alike were able to enjoy the activities which included vendors displaying their wares, crafts for the children, face painting, BBQ, bouncy castle and surprise visit from Santa. The Faculty and Staff send heartfelt thanks to all those families, friends and members of the community whose support helped to make this such a special occasion.

Little Penguins 1^st Annual Plant Planting Party was held recently at its new campus on Fahie Hill.

Family, friends and faculty arrived laden with trees, plants, tools and lots of enthusiasm. The goal of the event was to turn this semi barren ½ acre property into an oasis of greenery and tranquility. That was most definitely accomplished along with the building of abiding memories of love, laughter and sore hands (from all the digging).

This event was organized to support the Department of Agricultures Arbor Celebrations which the Montessori Curriculum supports on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis at both campuses with the children learning to sow the seeds and till the soil.

The Little Penguins now enjoy an external campus and play areas festooned with local trees and plants which will go along way to help beautify the territory and enrich the educational experience of the children attending Little Penguins Montessori Crèche. Special thanks should go to Mr. Pickering of Ground works who greatly supported the event.

Century House Montessori School BVI celebrated its 8^th Annual International Day of Peace at its campus on Diamond Estate on Wednesday 31^st October.

The event was a huge success with the 70 students and 15 faculty donning the costumes from their countries of origin which included India, France, Spain, BVI, USA, Canada, Jamaica, St. Vincent, Holland, Italy, Norway, Denmark, UK, Trinidad, Korea, Belize, Argentina and many more.

It was a very moving ceremony that was lead by the Elementary students aged 6 to 12 who highlighted Dr. Montessori’s century year old desire for world peace and her contribution to the UN and UNESCO, being the first person to draft the UN document on the rights of the child.

The students shared with family and friends in attendance some of the influential people that were supporters of Dr. Montessori e.g., Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Leo Tolstoy, Sigmund Freud, Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Thomas Edison, Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, John Holt, Ann Frank (who herself was a Montessori Student) and many notable historical characters.

After a series of wonderful presentations from the Casa students aged 3-6 and the elementary student’s family and friends enjoyed a circle of love and peace on the playing field and then a sumptuous luncheon with a cornucopia of dishes from all over the world on the porch of the great room.

More celebrations will be following later in the year to Celebrate 100 Years of Montessori Education world wide.

It was with beating heart and sweaty palms that I signed off on the rental of a four bedroom home on Fahie Hill which would accommodate Little Penguins Montessori Crèche in May of 2007.

The opening of a crèche has always been on my mind after I opened my first crèche in Bermuda in 1994 to accommodate Brittany and a number of her other little friends who needed good quality care at an early age.

On arriving in the BVI in 1997 my main focus was on setting up a Montessori School for Brittany again to accommodate children of her age. Thus CHMS BVI was born. Now my little bird has flown the nest it was time to introduce the BVI to the wonders of Montessori education for children under 3 years of age.

A definite gift from above came in the form of Mrs. Sarah Mobbs who was qualified from 0-3 and has recently qualified 3-6. Ms. Sarah as she is affectingly known, her husband Mobbsie and of course Princess Lucie have worked tirelessly during the months of July and August to get the crèche up and running for our September opening.

Ms Sarah thought of everything and even obtained a bunny to train at home in preparation for being the school’s mascot. Chloe Ruffle-Smith and Brittany Morgan, two former pupils, helped with art work in the rooms and assisted Mr. Morgan in putting up the indoor gym.

Those of you who have visited the Crèche will see the beautifully uplifting environment Ms Sarah, and her team have created. Whilst the children enjoy the challenging Montessori environment they also enjoy gourmet cooking for lunch and snack as Ms Sarah is a trained chef.

Little Penguins Montessori Crèche is a place to live, love, learn, and be happy. We look forward to your support and hope you can all attend the grand opening which is tentatively scheduled for the end of October.

The 9^th September 2007 dawned with a light shower, gentle breezes and a quick trip to the supermarket to get the essentials for a successful Field of Dreams Party; - Fresh croissants and donuts!

This year’s theme was internal beautification as we set to enriching the already beautiful classrooms by scrubbing chairs, painting tables, laminating Botany, Zoology and Geography nomenclature cards, sorting pin maps, flags, weeding and generally adding the internal beauty of the campus.

For the brave few there was gate building, and fence painting, with offers next year of a spray gun to speed things up a little (Mr. Riegels).

It was a beautiful sight to see old and young, tall and small and paint free and paint covered (Ms Scarlett) enjoy friendship and fellowship on the porch after a highly successful mornings work.

A sincere and heartfelt thanks from your Faculty & Staff at CHMS BVI. Another memory building moment.

Tuesday 26^th June 2007 saw CHMS BVI 4th annual sports day at the schools campus on Diamond Estate. With 4 highly motivated teams competing for the coveted “Teach me to do it myself” trophy we were off to a flying start.

Opening ceremonies complete, the teams arrived at each of the four stations in eager anticipation of the starting whistle.

Competition was fierce and words of encouragement echoed through the velvety green hills surrounding the campus.

At the end of an exhausting but fun filled games the prizes were handed out and the children given the rest of the day off from normal school activities.

Around September 2006 BVI Century House Montessori School, BVI has been invited from the main Montessori Italian Association “Centro Studi Casa Natale Maria Montessori” based in Chiaravalle – Ancona to the 5^th edition of the Art and Poetry competition called “Progetto Favolando”

All Italian and International Montessori schools are called to participate and challenge students from Casa, Elementary and Secondary classes with their artistic skills into a project that emphasizes Peace and Kindness concepts in such diverse societies where we are leaving nowadays.

We are very proud to announce that last week both CHMS, BVI Casa and Elementary student’s artworks sent at the end of March 2007 had been selected in the international section of the project and CHMS, BVI has been donated 200 euro for didactic material purposes.

Around the end of June 2007 will be published a book with all the winning children artworks as a reward for all the Montessori Schools efforts to make the “Progetto Favolando” a successful event across the world.

CHMS BVI 2^nd Annual Mini Arts Festival held on the school campus on Friday 22^nd June 2007 was considered by all who attended a resounding success.

The festival opened with the heavenly voices of the newly formed Elementary Choir, and conducted by the head of CHMS BVI music department Mrs. Munroe.

Presentations were also made to the successful winners in the Botanic Society Competition “Gardens in Bloom”. Certificates were awarded to Ms. Mary Pringle and Ms. Niamh Johnston in front of the assembled faculty, staff, family and friends.

A gift of a sapling was presented to Federica Dick-Read for her spearheading the Flavio International Art Competition which CHMS BVI proved to be successful.

A touching presentation was made to Mrs. Morgan from the Elementary children to thank her for organizing their recent field trip to St. Kitts and Nevis. Mrs. Morgan in turn thanked the children and went on to spill the beans regarding a certain group of CHMS BVI parents who were thrown out of a taxi in Nevis by a very disgruntled taxi driver.

The afternoon’s events were well organized with the choice of Face Painting by the very talented Ms Sarah. Lucky dipping, Pizza eating (when it finally arrived!) lemonade drinking, dress and jewelry shopping (much to the dismay of a number of fathers with daughters), bric-a-bracing and general milling, talking, laughing and enjoying the beautiful campus and heavenly weather.

Congratulations to all who helped us pull this event together. Your tireless work on behalf of the children of Century House Montessori School BVI is astounding and we all know the dedication and commitment to these young children will go a long way to making them amazing adults in the future.

Another set of amazing Montessori memories to enrich the overflowing Montessori Photo Album.

CHMS BVI field trip this year was to the beautiful destinations of St. Kitts and Nevis located in the Eastern Caribbean. These two islands archipelago are geographically within the Leeward Islands but are also relatively close to a cluster of several other islands. To the north-north west lie the islands of Saint Eustatius, Saba, Saint Barthelemy and St. Maarten. To the north-east lie Antigua and Barbuda and to the south-east lies Montserrat.

Both islands are of volcanic origin, with coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball. The two islands are separated by a three-km-wide channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long, baseball bat-shaped Saint Kitts lays the Great Salt Pond; Nevis Peak sits in the center of its almost circular namesake island. Nevis is approximately 3km from St. Kitts.

There are numerous rivers descending from the mountains of both islands and St. Kitts has a small lake called Lake Alden which is named after it’s found. St. Kitts is 69 sq miles and the highest point there is Mount Liamuiga at 1,156m while Mt. Nevis is the highest peak on Nevis.

Both islands possess a remarkable range of unspoiled ecosystems, from coral reefs to lush, dense rainforests. The upper slopes of Mt. Nevis are well wooded with coconut palms and palmettos in abundance. Lemon trees, bougainvillea, hibiscus and tamarind are common on both islands as well as the sandbox and turpentine trees. Wild orchids, candlewoods, tree ferns and flamboyant can all be found on both islands.

St. Kitts is home to the green Vervet monkey, the mongoose and there are also some wild deer on the island. The anole is the most common lizard and frogs, bats and butterflies can also be found. Birds include plovers, stilts, oystercatchers, pelicans, frigates, banana quits and hummingbirds.

Squirrel fish, lobster and barracuda abound in the local waters. In addition there are colourful coral and purple sea anemones and yellow sea fans. There is also the occasional shark, sting rays and lizard fish.

So with not a cloud in the sky nor a frown to be seen CHMS BVI 2^nd Bi-annual field trip got off to a great start. After a smooth check for 26 people at T. B. Lettsome International Airport. It was a short wait before we boarded out Liat flight.

Our flight via St. Maarten was smooth and timely and we arrived at the RLB International airport in St. Kitts with a spring in our steps and smiles embracing our faces.

Waiting to greet us warmly was Mr. Authurton our taxi driver and tour operator for the 3 days in St. Kitts. Following a visit to the local supermarket to stock up with supplies it was on to our check in at Timothy Beach Hotel.

Timothy beach is located on Frigate Bay with its warm, calm Caribbean waters good sports activities it was a great location for our happy group.

Once rooms were re-allocated and bags unpacked the children were to be found in the outdoor pool enjoying the fruits of their hard earned fundraising events: splashing and shrieking and sharing friendship and fellowship under the perfect blue skies and gentle breezes that greeted us in St. Kitts.

Unfortunately one family’s baggage had not arrived from St. Maarten where they joined the group but not to be deterred we all washed up and looked tubbed and scrubbed and headed to the beach restaurant for our first night bbq. Once that was devoured Mrs. Morgan took all the children on a hike down the beach to get some exercise and fresh air before going to bed.

Sunday saw us all up early for our day long tour of St. Kitts. Two taxis were our mode of transportation with parents in one and children in the other. Off we set taking in all the local culture and history along the way.

Mr. Arthurton kept us entertained and well educated as we drove through beautiful little villages and parishes along the coast enjoying the spectacular scenery and the quaint old West Indian cottages.

While heading to our first stop we came across the petroglyphs left in stone by The Carib Indians. On arrival at Romney Manor we found the place closed and gated much to Mr. Authurton's disappointment. Not to be discouraged, we headed for the historic Brimstone Hill Fortress located just 10 miles north-west of Basseterre (the Capital City). The fort rises majestically from the upper slopes and flattened top of a 750 foot volcanic cone. At this world Heritage Site we enjoyed a brief video which explained the fort’s history and then it was free time to explore the wonderful historic monument.

A picnic lunch followed under the cooling awnings of two large flamboyant trees, followed by more exploring sans parents, who could enjoy the panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and neighbouring islands. Then it was time to move on again.

Our next stop found us at the prestigious Ottley’s Plantation Inn/The Royal Palm, a 5 star resort with spectacular plantation style buildings and surrounded by amazing foliage. Originally a 17th century sugar plantation, Ottley's Plantation Inn transports guest to a bygone era of gracious living, hospitality and elegance. Situated on 35 acres of rolling lawns and gardens in the foothills of majestic Mt. Liamuiga, with breathtaking views of the Atlantic, Ottley's is a magnificent Caribbean hideaway--a perfect, restful spot for travelers seeking a retreat from the hectic pace of daily life. This romantic inn is blessed with a secluded, but not remote, location. The hillside location virtually guarantees breezes that are balmy year-round, and the natural setting provides panoramic ocean, mountain and garden views at every turn. Yet a drive of less than 20 minutes can take you to the airport, historic Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis or to a choice of two Caribbean beaches.

Part of this impressive property contains a small rainforest and trail/hike which we all undertook – with some carrying more than others – right Pasua my darling?

A brief moment to take a breath, meet the Manager of the resort and it was off again in search of the “Fish Man” - a local gentleman who breeds fish in his corner house garden in tanks made from his own concrete design structures, old bath tubs and basically any container he could lay his hands on. It was an amazing sight to see.

Heading back to the hotel we took in the beautiful volcanic beach that was breathtaking with the blackness of the volcanic rocks casting a striking contrast with the vivid aqua blue of the ocean and the piercing whiteness of the crest of the waves as they broke on the rocks.

Our science journey ended with a visit to a spectacular viewing hill where we could see the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the beautiful Caribbean Sea on the other.

After an exhausting day a dinner booked earlier in the day for 26 people dwindled down to just 2 - Mrs. Morgan and Ms. Elizabeth - whilst the rest of the party either ate in their condos or took a stroll down the beach to eat at one of the many beach restaurants that dotted the coast.

Another early start saw us taking the ferry to Nevis. Unfortunately some people suffered a little on the ferry crossing and spent the rest of the day a little under the weather.

A tour of Nevis took longer than we had anticipated due to the multiple and major road construction projects that pepper the island. However, the tour of the Botanical Gardens up lifted everyone’s spirits and the children particularly enjoyed the impromptu outdoor shower provided by the Gardens’ sprinkler system.

The Botanical Gardens are filled with sculpture, fountains and a replica of a Great House, has many garden areas to visit; roses and vines, cactuses, fruit trees and orchids. The most outstanding part is the tropical rainforest conservatory, built to emulate the conservatory at Kew Gardens in England. It houses tropical plants and huge Mayan type sculptures.

Unfortunately we had run out of time to visit two more historical sites before our ferry ride back to St. Kitts. Here the group split up to explore the historic Capital of Basseterre which contains two wonderful museums, Independence Square originally called Pall Mall Sq which was acquired by the Government in 1750 and renamed on the occasion of St. Kitts and Nevis achieving political independence. The sq was the site of the slave market and slaves arriving from Africa were temporarily quartered in the basement of buildings on the south side of the Sq.,

The children enjoyed seeing The Circus built in the English style of London’s famous Piccadilly Circus, this memorial to the former president of the General Legislative Council, Sir Thomas Berkeley, stands at the centre of the circus.

Mrs. Morgan and Ms. Elizabeth took this opportunity to visit the St. Kitts Montessori Elementary School.

Once back at the hotel it was time to pack for another early start the next day.

Dinner that evening was at a local restaurant that came highly recommended by Mr. Authurton and the hotel.

Mrs. Morgan took the children back to the hotel early for one last walk on the beach and await the arrival of their parents.

Tuesday dawned and it was another smooth check in at the RBL International Airport and a short hop, skip and a jump home to the BVI.

All in all, a wonderful album of memories for the children of CHMS BVI 2007 Elementary Class.

Since the beginning of October last year the elementary class students started a new art programme introduced by artist Federica Dick Read and assisted by architect Yael Gordon.

The students have been involved once a week for one hour experiencing the magic technique of pencil drawing. The children learnt how to handle different types of pencils and have been practicing on different paper grains. Drawing their class mates face portraits and still life compositions has given them a good study for approaching proportion techniques.

Many of the techniques learnt have been used to submit art work for the Favolando Art Competition organised by Centro Studi, Casa Natale Maria Montessori in Chiaravalle, Italy. The students art work has recently been sent to Chiaravalle and we await the results which will be announced later in the year.

This was the theme for this year's 2007 National Parks Trust Flower Show which took place on Sunday 25th March 2007 at the J. R. O'Neal Botanical Gardens. Children submitted drawings in crayon and markers (Juniors 5-8) and water colours (Intermediate 9-11). Well done to Mary Pringle 1st Prize, Junior Category, Jude Kinkead Honourable Mention, Junior Category and Niamh Johnstone 3rd Prize, Intermediate Category. Thank you also to Mrs. Morgan's mother Kathleen Cartwright and Federica Dick Read who helped the children.

In his day job, which newspaper does Spiderman work for, which West Indian bowler was nicknamed Big Bird and on which British Virgin Island is Little Fort National Park? These are some of the questions posed by Quiz Master Ken Morgan at our recent Quiz Night. Tortola Sports Club hosted the event and provided delicious food as the teams battled for winning place. We were very pleased to be joined for the first time by The Graduates, a team consisting of Dean Fonseca, Holly Hasted, Michael Poole, Chloe Ruffle Smith, Alexa Shirely and Ariane Tye, who did an excellent job competing against the adult teams.

Team United Nations, joyously reclaimed the cup as they were announced the winners for the second time in a row entitling them to a day sail for 10 people on the catamaran Lionheart, donated by Robin Mobbs. Runners up Chertsey Chavs received bottles of Champagne to help them celebrate taking second place.

Our special thanks go out to all those parents who supported the event by taking part and those who were able to donate prizes and buy raffle tickets. To everyone at the Tortola Sports Club for accommodating the event and especially to our Quiz Master Ken Morgan for the fine selection of general knowledge questions.

CHMS, BVI will host another Quiz Night during the next school term. Date and venue to be arranged.

Friday 2nd March saw a wonderful array of oriental costumes and cuisine as Century House Montessori School, BVI students celebrated Chinese New Year.

Casa children sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in both English and Chinese and sang the Chinese Dragon song.

The Elementary students along with the Drama Divas performed the story of Niem the Chinese Dragon who terrorized a Chinese village a millennium ago.

Delicious Chinese food from Simply Delicious was enjoyed by all the children and many accompanying parents and friends.

Deciduous, visibility, depressant, impede. These are just a few of the words that the Century House Montessori School competitors were asked to spell at the semi-finals of the 2007 Spelling Bee Competition. This took place on a rainy Monday evening, 19th February, at the Sir Rupert Briercliffe Hall. Organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture, there were thirteen schools competing in the semi finals.

The evening echoed with the voice of the Pronouncers saying: "The word is..." followed by a word from the Oxford English Dictionary. The competitors were given ten seconds to spell each word. Every competitor was asked to spell six words.

Jude Kinkead, Via Donovan Hodge and Jewel Hector represented the school like professionals rather than the novices they were. They sat patiently on the stage, waiting for their turn. As the Pronouncers announced each work, Via and Jude calmly asked for a definition or repetition of the word. Via diligently wrote each word down before she clearly spelt each answer into the microphone. Each correct answer was welcomed by Jude's arm punching the air as the audience cheered. Jewel sat in the auditorium supporting her peers as the Reserve Speller. The children's calm was a contrast to the excitement and nerves shown by their families teacher.

A wonderful start to the Festive Season saw Century House Montessori School, BVI, holding its Annual Stop n’ Shop on Saturday 9^th December.

The children enjoyed participating in the seasonal craft activities and thanks to Sarah Mobbs there were a wonderful array of painted faces. We all enjoyed seeing so many familiar and new faces attend the event. The porch was filled with a fine selection of crafts on sale by vendors and the tombola and lucky dip were favourites again with the children along with a surprise visit from Santa.

Sincere thanks go to all the parents who supported the event by donating wonderful bric a brac and helping on the day. Special thanks to Sam Pierce who rounded off a special day with the arrival of the bouncy castle.

Quiz Master Ken Morgan tested the assembled teams’ brains at CHMS, BVI’s Quiz Night last Friday. This event took place at Captain’s Table in Village Cay Marina.

Questions ranged from dressmaking terms and culinary facts to general knowledge and current affairs, both local and world wide. The proud winners “The United Nations” won a day sail for 8 people including skipper, courtesy of Sun sail. The runner up team “The Massive” enjoyed Champagne. Raffle prizes were announced throughout the evening. We hope to host another Quiz Night in the New Year.

Thanks go all of our parents who supported the event: those who joined teams on the night and those who could not attend the evening but who purchased raffle tickets and made donations instead.

Special thanks go to Anju Dhar for all her help arranging the raffle prizes and to Collin Scatliffe for hosting the event.

FIRE FIRE FIRE ! Normally a scary and heart wrenching word but not for the children of Century House Montessori School, BVI who recently completed their termly fire drill at their campus on Diamond Estate.

Thanks to the kind hearts of the fire department who participated in the drill the children had the experience of a life time.

The fire fighters arrived on time and gave the drill the all clear, and then it was onto the fun stuff.

The children were given a detailed overview of the fire truck and its functions. They were also taught some valuable lessons in fire prevention by the officers present. The elementary children (aged 6-12) had some probing questions for the fire officers to answer which they did in a professional and personable manner.

On completion of the experience the Casa Children (ages 3-6) as part of their “Random acts of kindness” programme presented the fire fighters with home made cards and delicious banana bread that they baked in domestic science that day.

Another wonderful experience, one the children will never forget thanks in part to our wonderful fire fighters here in the BVI.

Bring on the rain; bring on the wind and multiple power cuts! Despite all these obstacles CHMS, BVI 8^th International Day was a resounding success shared by family, friends, faulty and staff and of course our beloved children.

This year’s array of beautiful and authentic International costumes dazzled the eager gathering and made for an amazing rainbow of rich hues which in turn reflects the vast cultural diversity we share at CHMS, BVI. We are truly an International school in every sense of the word.

The programme included a wonderful duet by sopranos Via Donovan Hodge and Anya Rhoden, readings on Dr. Montessori’s life by Ahan Dhar, Sean Wong, Molly Woodruff accompanied by wonderful illustrations of Dr. Montessori.

“There are places in the world” took the assembled audience around the globe with the Elementary students singing a cappello due to the power cuts.

Peace Makers were well represented by Miss Maduro’s young class and this part of the programme concluded with a rousing rendition of Teaching Peace sung with enthusiasm so as to avoid seeing Mrs. Morgan strut her stuff.

Everyone was then invited to our traditional Circle of Peace and Friendship before experiencing a cornucopia of International dishes which were a joy to the eye and pure pleasure for the taste buds.

A huge thank you must go to the parents whose efforts produced the most amazing costumes and food and helped make this 8^th International Day one we will always remember.

Here at CHMS, BVI we strive to be more than an excellent educational institute. We strive to be more than a place to grow and learn. Your faculty and staff are dedicated to making every moment of your child’s life a memorable one to add to your memory banks and your bank just received another wonderful deposit.

PEACE BEGINS WITH ME! PEACE BEGINS WITH ME! Were the words echoing in the hills over Diamond Estate as the Children Faculty & Staff from Century House Montessori School BVI celebrated their 3^rd Annual Peace Walk at their campus on Friday 11^th November.

Peace studies have always been a part of the Montessori Curriculum devised by the first female Doctor in Italy, Dr. Maria Montessori in 1905. The children at CHMS BVI participate in daily peace studies as early as three years old and learn conflict resolution skills which they use on a daily basis. Montessorians the world over believe that Peace begins with the actions of the very young and children who are surrounded by adults who model peaceful behaviors will in turn emulate those behaviors.

The children shared their own Peace poetry and Peace songs and discussed the Peace makers of the world and their individual impact on our present day lives. Then everyone enjoyed a symbolic Peace Walk around the school campus accompanied by a rousing chorus of “We are teaching Peace in what we do and what we say” by Ms. Lynsey Debeers Elementary Class.

CHMS BVI recently celebrated its 7^th Annual International Day at its campus on Diamond Estate.

An idea created by UNICEF a number of years ago and adopted by Montessori Schools the world over; International Day is designed to celebrate our cultural diversity and ethnic heritage. The celebration is designed to enlighten our children to a deeper understanding of other cultures, cultures that need to be embraced, shared and celebrated, not feared and ignored.

Family, friends and visitors enjoyed a feast for the eyes and ears as the pupils at Century House Montessori School BVI dressed in national costumes from all over the world and entertained the crowd with a multicultural presentation including songs, poems and music from Japan, the US, and Europe.

The Day concluded with a sumptuous luncheon provided by parents, families and friends. The cultural diversity of CHMS BVI’s student bodies was reflected in the food with amazing dishes from St. Lucia, BVI, Israel, USA, Italy, Jamaica, India and South Africa.

Caribbean Arts and Crafts Festival: Don't miss Saturday the 12th of March, hosted by the Century House Montessori School (CHMS) BVI. On this day CHMS will host a variety of children's activities and arts & crafts. There will be live music, kayak races, crab races, a log boat race as well as rides on the Gli Gli.

This year the event will host artisans from The Caribbean Artisan Network, who will be coming from all over the neighboring Carib Islands. Liat airlines have sponsored their flights.

CHMS Students Art Talents Shine in Art Competition. Pictured below is one example of the over 35 entries from CHMS BVI in the BVI National Parks Trust Art Competition "BVI GARDENS IN BLOOM". CHMS BVI received Second and Third Place in the 5-8 Catagory thanks to the artistic talents of Kenzie Turnbull and Hannah Hasted. Second place in 9-11 Catagory went to Kitty Hasted and Honorable Mention went to Jude Kinkade, Brionka Halbert.

Their work can be viewed at CHMS BVI 4th Annual Arts Festival at Trellis Bay 12/13/14 March from 10am-6pm.

Students Help Princess Anne Open Water Sports Centre. Young sailors from CHMS BVI recently displayed their sailing skills for her Royal Highness Princess Anne during a recent visit to the island. More than 15 of the schools students participated and got to meet the Princess at the opening of the new Water Sports Centre.