Elementary School

By Supriya McDonald, Head of Lower School

Academic Excellence is one of the three main pillars of our School, together with Positive Character Development and Creative Self-Expression. Academic achievement is one of the five core values of an MMS education. These words are found in the mission statements of most schools, and also heard in political speeches during election season. But what does academic achievement and excellence look like at MMS? How do we demonstrate it and how do we measure it?

Along the banks of the Yamuna River, thousands of red sandstone bricks used to construct the Lal-Qila, or Red Fort of Delhi, gleam in the bright afternoon sun.

Along the banks of the Yamuna River, thousands of red sandstone bricks used to construct the Lal-Qila, or Red Fort of Delhi, gleam in the bright afternoon sun. This extensive compound, built between 1639 and 1648, is today a World Heritage Site and one of India’s architectural ‘jewels.’ It is also one of numerous places that Mount Madonna School elementary students have learned about in preparation for Mount Madonna School’s (MMS) annual Cultural Awareness event, planned for March 28 and 29. This popular assembly showcasing elementary students’ dramatic talents and creativity is the culmination of two months of focused study on a particular world culture: this year, the epic history and colorful diversity of India.

Under the sea: Mount Madonna School first grader Riley Brown will perform in Disney's "The Little Mermaid, Jr" April 5-7 and 12-14, 7:00pm showtimes on Friday and Saturday nights and 3:00pm showtimes on Saturday and Sunday afternoons at Gilroy High school. The production is double-cast, and Riley will perform as King Triton's herald, "Seahorse" in one cast, and as a singing sea creature in the other. 

MMS Parent Geneffa Jonker (August, 3rd) will be reading her poetry at this year's "In Celebration of the Muse" public poetry event. Twenty local poets (selected out of over 100 entries) will read a few poems each. 

"Celebration" takes places on Saturday, March 2 at the Cabrillo College Crocker Theater, 7:30pm. General admission tickets are $18 in advance or at the door. This event benefits Poetry Santa Cruz.

MMS second grade is hosting a blanket drive to help out needy animals at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter in the cold winter season. Please support this effort by donating “gently used” blankets, towels, pet food and other pet supplies.

Please put donations in the bins located in the School Office (upper campus) or at the lakeside bus stop. Thank you for showing your compassion and support. Drive will end mid-March.

On Saturday, March 2, fifth grade students from Mount Madonna School (MMS) will give a public presentation about their class environmental project, “Do One Thing to Help the Condors and the Environment.” The presentation starts at 3:00pm and will be held at the Discovery Center at Andrew Molera State Park in Big Sur.

Elementary - Assembly from 1:30 - 2:15 pm

Middle/High - Assembly from 2:30 - 3:20 pm

This assembly is presented by the Wild Cat Education and Conservation Fund and supported by Michael Lee Environmental Foundation.

Dr. Yong Zhao, an internationally known scholar, author and speaker, will be the featured presenter at an upcoming public lecture in Aptos. Dr. Zhao, author of more than 100 articles and 20 books, including Catching Up or Leading the Way; American Education in the Age of Globalization and World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students will be addressing an audience of parents, educators and others interested in the topic of education trends and innovations.

Visitors to the third grade classroom on a recent afternoon were greeted by an array of modern day and historical figures, including: former President Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Pocahontas, Benjamin Banneker, Dr. Temple Grandin, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Each third grader chose an individual as a “moral hero” to study and later personify for the classroom presentation.