Council Oak’s Upper Elementary

Council Oak Montessori School Class prepares 100 lunches to feed local families with Pro Labore Dei

Friday, February 7th, Council Oak Montessori School’s Upper Elementary class prepares 100 lunches for families in Blue Island and Robbins. Community is important to the students at Council Oak Montessori School. From a young age they have opportunities to practice service and stewardship. This helps our students to grow into highly capable adults. 

For these reasons and more, Council Oak’s Upper Elementary class prepared lunches for the nearby Pro Labore Dei. Pro Labore Dei is a local non-profit whose volunteers serve families in need in Robbins, Blue Island, and Lower Wacker in Chicago. Through this week’s effort, they will be distributing 400 lunches total. 

When Upper Elementary teacher Jennifer Bonko heard of this opportunity, she thought of her students. “I pitched the idea to the class”, she said, “and they were immediately on board.” 

Jennie’s class is made up of students who would be in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. However, in a Montessori school classes are not divided into grades. Instead classes are grouped by ages which correspond to specific stages of development. This style of grouping builds a sense of community in the students which eventually extends beyond the classroom.

Indira, who is new to the class and to Montessori this year had this to say. “”We are so lucky to have resources and everything we need to live, and there are people that don’t have all of that. It made me very happy to let those people know that there are people in this world that are willing to take the time out of their day to help them out even if it is just a little bit.”

Community in Montessori

Community is a strong theme in Montessori education, where mixed age classrooms allow students to work together and shape their classroom experience. Service activities like this empower students to make a difference in their communities beyond the classroom. Helping their peers of different ages teaches empathy as well as responsibility.

Council Oak Montessori School educates the whole child through hands on experiences. We believe that by bringing abstract ideas to the real world, students learn more deeply. These lessons stay with students well beyond 

Keep an eye out for further work coming from these students. You may notice them being stewards of the land, raising funds for local charities, or just speaking out for justice in parking lots. Nobody is too young to make a difference.

If you want to see how it works in the classroom, schedule a tour at Council Oak by calling (708) 926-9720. Council Oak Montessori School, located at 2521 Grove St., in Blue Island is open for fall enrollment!