Montessori Bridge Ceremony

Graduations are a special part of the Montessori Tides School experience, and the teachers recognize the growth and personal achievements of their students in a meaningful and heartfelt way.

Montessori Tides held a bridging ceremony Wednesday, May 22, to celebrate Lower Elementary students who are continuing to the Upper Elementary classroom. Instead of graduating and receiving a diploma, the children walk across a bridge to symbolize this profound “passing through.” This concrete experience to bridge to the Upper Elementary classroom marks a significant period of growth in a child’s life. It is also an exciting beginning to new adventures and discoveries for the child at Montessori Tides School.

During the ceremony, two first-year students in Upper Elementary gave a welcome speech to the students bridging up. Kai and Isabelle shared these words with the students:

“Congratulations! You have made it to Upper Elementary; 4th grade is here! We have fun here in the Upper Elementary classroom, but we also follow the rules (most of the time). Here are two you need to know…

1. Always be kind to everyone and everything.
2. Walk in the classroom.

In Upper Elementary, you get a lot more freedom than you guys are used to, so you need to make sure to use our freedom wisely and not abuse it. Oh, and be careful during lunch. (That’s when the power kicks in.) Now for the fun part of the speech: “things to look forward to.” The overnight field trip is really fun– so I’ve heard — and at lunch we get to share food. Whoop! Whoop!”~ Isabelle

“Welcome third years to Upper Elementary. We hope you guys like it here. We also want you to stay as long as you can. Here are a few tips:

1. Don’t stick you finger in fish’s or froggy’s tank. [They will bite.]
2. Don’t mess with the plants in the peace area. [Someone will get angry.] ~ Kai

Montessori Tides’ bridging ceremonies always bring a little humor, but, more importantly, Ms. Nancy strives to showcase each child’s personal accomplishments and interests. During the ceremony, Ms. Nancy shared each child’s gift.