Hudson Montessori School is a non-sectarian school, but that does not mean that we do not share and teach about religious or cultural celebrations—in fact, quite the opposite. As we near the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, we explore several of the major religions of the world and how they celebrate this time.
During the holiday season, our teachers share stories, read books, and incorporate holiday crafts and items in their classrooms. And students' families, coming from many diverse cultures and religions, enrich our curriculum with their personal stories around this time through classroom presentations.
We kicked off our holiday season in November with the harvest feasts of Thanksgiving and the Indian festival of lights, Diwali. Our parent volunteers told stories to our students, bringing to life the traditions celebrated in their homes. This year, our parents continue this tradition via live Zoom video conferencing into the classrooms—and all of our children love that personal interaction with the parents.
Our students learned that during the holiday season, we wish our Jewish friends a Happy Hanukkah and learn more about the shamash on the menorah and the miracle of the Maccabees.
In celebration of Christmas, our Christian friends commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas traditions from many generations and many countries of the world—religious or not—share a common thread of giving gifts to family and friends and joyously singing carols. throughout the year.
Some African-American families may follow a certain religion, celebrate those seasonal holidays, and on top of that, may celebrate the seven days of Kwanzaa, a harvest celebration that brings the family together in unity.
As a Montessori school, we look at our whole world and know that each culture carries a unique history with traditions and stories that are meant to be shared and honored. During this holiday season, there are at least 29 other religious and cultural celebrations from at least seven major world religions. The common themes through all of these traditions are peace and love, family and community, sharing in the harvest, and being thankful for what we have. We recognize these traditions, shining a spotlight on them for our children, and in the process—learning more about how connected we all are.
“Happy Holidays and Happy New Year” on behalf of the Hudson Montessori School community. We look forward to the promise of a new year and unlocking the wonders of the world. We invite you on that journey. Schedule a school tour to learn more about our school.
Ms. Gracy Jolly (reindeer antlers), the school's founder, and Ms. Gina Reeves (Santa hat), school director, talk to the students about finding the connection between all cultures during the holiday season at last year's Holiday Cheer event (December 2019).
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