20 February 2026
There will be Hors d'oeuvres, wine, A little music, and a lot of celebrating!!!
Reminder. This is an adult only event. The students have already celebrated their building. Now it is time for the grown ups to celebrate
Upcoming Events
Friday the 6th- Continued Enrollment is due.
Friday the 13th
All classroom communities will celebrate the day in a Pines way!
Play in the Park
Friday the 13th (At dismissal, until 4:30)
SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUE! Upper El students stopped preparing for Bake Sale when we thought we were moving this day and now there’s not enough time to bake!
Bake Sale will return in MARCH! Feel free to play in February!
Friday 2/27 (Toddlers-Upper Elementary)
After dismissal, until 4:30 PM
Come and walk around the school to observe and participate in the household activities such as table setting, ironing, cooking, food prep, and much more presented by the students.
Snowball Run
Snowball Run
PINES MONTESSORI SCHOOL
200 Pancakes 4 gallons of warm chocolate served with Pines made whipped cream and sprinkles! 105 Students were in Running Club!
125 Snowball Run T-Shirts are out there! Too many miles of running
$12,000 RaisedThank you! to our sponsors, runners, teachers, kitchen staf running club students, parents and grandparent spectators, and the weather that held out for us
PINES MONTESSORI SCHOOL
First thing purchased with your generosity!
Our new storage container.
This will be filled with play equipment! We are also waiting for some new grass to g and we are building outdoor learning space our Primary classrooms with the proceed We thank you once again!
Family Focus
How were you introduced to Montessori and why did you feel that it was the best fit for your family?
We were first introduced to Montessori by friends who had enrolled their daughter in school They loved the Montessori method, and we started to explore options when Carmen Sofia was turning three years old She had initially been home with a nanny, then enrolled in a traditional daycare, but as she got older, we wanted something that would challenge her a bit more academically and nurture her curiosity. The Montessori approach really appealed to us because it encourages independence, hands-on learning, and respect for each child’s pace. We loved the idea of Carmen Sofia being in an environment where she could explore, make choices, and grow into a confident, self-motivated learner.
The Andersson-Malone family had 10 questions to choose from. Here are the 5 they picked.
What made you choose Pines versus other Montessori schools? Before we found Pines, we toured two other Montessori schools nearby One had recently been sold to a corporate management company, and it just didn’t feel like it held true to the authentic Montessori philosophy. The other school felt more conventional and honestly, the staff didn’t seem very welcoming. We didn’t get that warm, connected feeling we were hoping for. When we visited Pines and met Ms. Patty, it was completely different. Everyone was so friendly and eager to share what Montessori is really about. The classrooms were calm and focused, and the children were so engaged it was unlike anything we’d seen before. Seeing the older kids helping the younger ones sealed it for us. We left that visit knowing this was the right place.
How do you feel Montessori has benefitted your child? Carmen Sofia has absolutely thrived at Pines. She’s curious, confident, and loves learning new things. She has the freedom to explore her interests, but she’s also learning structure and responsibility in such a positive way Over the summer, she went back to a traditional daycare, and the difference was night and day There, she was told she was too talkative or too active, but at Pines, those same traits are celebrated and channeled into learning It really showed us how much the Montessori environment supports her natural personality
How long have you been at Pines and what’s your favorite memory so far? We started at Pines in August 2023, so this is our third year here. One of our favorite things has been seeing how much Carmen Sofia loves Earth Connections she talks about it every week! it’s such a fun way for her to learn and explore outside the classroom. She’s always so excited to tell us what she learned about plants, animals, or the environment. It’s so special to see her build that connection with nature. And of course, she’d tell you that Pizza Fridays are pretty great too!
Are there any specific Montessori activities or materials your child enjoys? Carmen Sofia loves learning to write in cursive, and we have to say that she has beautiful handwriting. She enjoys anything hands-on especially practical life activities where she gets to “help” like the big kids. She’s very proud when she can do things on her own, whether it’s pouring, cleaning, or organizing her materials.
Kitchen Connections
Chocolate
Covered Popcorn
Take your popped kernels to the next level by coating them with a chocolaty sauce.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Oil spray
7 cups popped plain popcorn
5 tbsp unsalted butter
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp flake sea salt
Instructions
Set the oven to 250 F. Line 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray the inside bottom and sides of pan with the oil spray.
Place plain popcorn in baking pan. In large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add sugar, maple syrup, cocoa powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt and bring mixture to boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly with rubber spatula, until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth about 1 minute.
Turn off heat and slide saucepan to a cool burner. Carefully add baking soda and stir until well combined, about 30 seconds. Working quickly, while mixture is still hot, carefully scrape sauce mixture onto popcorn in baking pan. Use robber spatula to gently stir until popcorn is evenly coated.
Spread popcorn into even layer. Sprinkle with flake sea salt.
Place baking pan in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Use oven mitts to remove baking pan from oven and place on cooling rack.
Stir the popcorn with a rubber spatula. Spread popcorn back into even layer. Return baking pan to oven.
Bake until chocolate coating has hardened, about 40 minutes, repeating stirring halfway to baking. Remove baking pan from oven and place on cooling rack.
Carefully stir popcorn one last time. Let the popcorn cool completely in pan, about 30 minutes.
Break popcorn apart with your hands and serve.
Photo:Simplyscratch
Teacher Experiences
Lego's and Eggo's
tudents joined Mr. Jordan and Ms. Peyton after school and had a blast building Legos while snacking on Eggos!
The EVENT
Student Spotlight
I graduated from Pines Montessori Middle School in 2020, the beginning of the pandemic.
I am currently at the University of Houston pursing a bachelors degree in harp performance. I perform with the Moores School of Music orchestra program, and I also get hired to play at various gigs in Kingwood and downtown Houston. I have been invited to play for private settings (such as corporate gatherings and weddings) to public events, most notably as of late performing during the intermissions of the recent TEDx Third Ward conference. I now also offer beginner harp private lessons at the Kingwood School of Music.
Pines
Juliana Jordan
completely changed my trajectory for life.
It made me become thoughtful and curious about my surroundings, no matter where I am. It taught me how to communicate amongst diverse groups, being surrounded by students from various backgrounds and ages.
I learned how to rationally approach issues based on my own thinking process. It gave me all of these professional skills that I use on a daily basis, (more-so now than in high school), but most importantly Pines helped me understand myself. I learned to take things one step at a time, to appreciate every detail I see and every moment I experience, whether good or bad to grow from it, and that using my abilities in their fullest is the best thing I can do.
Without Pines, I would not have found nor appreciated the passion and perseverance I carry with me now.
Student Spotlight
What I love about Pines of how it all feels like being part of a family. I came in during 6th grade, and I was terrified to be outcasted for transferring late. It was a huge culture shock from my previous strict private school. Everyone at Pines treats each other with kindness and understanding, and I was surprised to see that I was invited in with open arms.
The teachers get to know each student, to develop unique bonds. Instead of being ostracized for being slower at certain subjects and feeling shame for it, I felt heard and understood, and I could see the teacher's desire to help me based off my strengths and personality. Going to school every day did not feel like a chore but rather to see a part of my family. That combined with the personalized academic path creates a beautiful environment and experience.
I have so many beloved memories from Pines, I could write so many words about each one. The trips we took changed my life and to this day I find myself relishing on the memories I have every now and then, from the MMUN New York trip, the Florida Keys marine camp, and the Texas Road Trip. I learned so much from each one, but my favorite out of those was probably snorkeling in the coral reefs of Florida. I was (and still am to an extent) a terrible swimmer, but I still enjoyed every second.
Before coming to Pines I was quiet and insecure, but by the end of my first year I blossomed with a newfound comfort and confidence in myself that only continued to grow from that point forward.
Juliana (2 from left) at Montessori Model United Nations representing Germany nd
Her t-shirt reads 8 Grade th 2020
Class of the Quarantined
A school with a view!
Construction
We are soooo close!
It is just the elevator that we are waiting on... and it really is not the fault of the elevator folks...
CenterPoint held us up for MONTHS installing our power... One cannot install an elevator without power... So we fell off the elevator installation schedule...
Finally... we are back on the schedule! Then final inspections and final cleaning and finally STUDENTS!
Our NEW student date is March 9th.