I just wrapped up an energizing week at MST, diving deep into the visioning work for our 15-18 Adolescent Program. I spent time with students in both the Eucalyptus and Willow classes, facilitated our Parent Visioning Session, and I'm excited to share what emerged from these conversations.   Working with Our Students The Eucalyptus students shared with me what makes their current experience meaningful:  the freedom to choose their own work,  the balance of individual and coll

Our ongoing collaboration with Bidii Yetu and MST teachers has been both inspiring and challenging. Through this partnership, we have gained deeper insight into the realities faced by communities working with limited resources—and into the strength and resilience that sustain them. One of the most significant challenges has been resource scarcity . Basic classroom materials such as paper, pencils, crayons, and even natural wood for creating learning materials are not always r

This year for the Willow senior project, we have decided to collaborate with the Bidii Yetu for Change (BYC) community. BYC is an organization that helps make refugees’ experiences better and more comfortable. They are based in Kakuma Camp, the largest refugee camp in Kenya. Our goal for this year is to raise donations for BYC, so that they can afford upgrades and/or materials for their refugees. We decided to host an art exhibition on March 6 to help raise donations for them

On January 30 and 31, MST hosted the yearly Montessori Journey, a traditional Montessori format that takes us away from the fast pace of daily life, and into a space for silence, slow exploration, and reflection. I was grateful to have the opportunity to lead this journey for the second time.  On Friday night, participants had time to move silently around one environment in each level, from the Infant community to the Adolescent program.  On Saturday, the same walk was now le

Our community held 9 winter celebrations in December, in the Garden, in classrooms, in all of Grove and in Shibuya. Most were intimate gatherings. But others were raucous affairs. There was a rock club vibe at the Little Willow Concert, a festival atmosphere at the Eucalyptus Winter Fair and a party mood at the Elementary Concert. All were a patchwork quilt of vibrant colors and music in our wonderful community. Enjoy the slideshow of each one of these events, accompanied by

For middle school guide Kartika Harsono, a journey deep into the Borneo rainforest becomes a powerful meditation on wonder, humility, and our connection to the natural world.  One of the most memorable and awakening experiences of my life was a journey into the Borneo rainforest in Indonesia. The trip began in Jakarta and continued by plane to Pangkalan Bun in Central Borneo, the gateway to Tanjung Puting National Park. While the park is best known for its orangutans, made fa

MST faculty with some members of Friends of AMI Nippon. MST Head of School James Moore was invited to speak at a Friends of AMI Nippon gathering held at Café Slow in Tokyo. James shared his insights from MST’s journey in building a Montessori community. The January event highlighted MST’s growing presence within Japan’s Montessori network and our commitment to collaboration and leadership beyond the school. With great coffee, a warm atmosphere, and a room full of Montessori e

Head of School James shares how MST’s Willow and Eucalyptus ballplayers made history in their first middle school-level team sports fixture, showing grit, teamwork, and school spirit in a closely contested basketball match against Nishimachi. Dear Parents, I wanted to personally thank you and your children for being part of last week’s basketball fixture at Nishimachi International School. It was a real pleasure to see our Willow and Eucalyptus students representing MST on th

The Montessori School of Tokyo  BRANCHING INTO THE FUTURE OUR GUIDING DIRECTIONS Foreword This Branching into the Future  document captures the collective hopes, dreams, questions, and imaginings of our school community. Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, students, staff, and families reflected together during sessions facilitated by Kira Donnelly, consultant for MST. These conversations invited us to envision what our school could become at its very best. As we considered