Midtown Montessori Historical Halloween
General Information & Guidelines for the Annual Event
This is a general guideline for the event. Your student’s teacher will be contacting you with information specific to their class.
Aim/Purpose of Historical Halloween: To give children an opportunity to engage in a celebration of Halloween at school that is in keeping with our culture of exploration and learning. Midtown Montessori asks children to dress up as a historical/cultural figures in keeping with the selected theme each year.
Historical Halloween Q & A
May parents visit the school during Historical Halloween? YES! Historical Halloween is a community event. The primary children will do a short parade of costumes followed by a brief presentation where they say who they are. The elementary children present longer presentations. Please check your newsletter for more details.
What are the guidelines for costumes? Primary children should not bring props with their costumes. Elementary children may do so as part of their presentation, but these items will be stored in the office until it is time to present. We strongly discourage weapons as props for the elementary unless it is an integral part of their costume. If a child has selected a “monster” from this theme, the costume should not be scary or violent. Remember that the ultimate purpose here is to TEACH others something new!
My child is really into something that is not in this theme. May they dress up in that costume instead? Please adhere to the theme. It is important to our sense of community that each member recognizes the responsibilities associated with the freedom to participate in events. The theme matters – we change the theme every year, so your child will get an opportunity to dress like people from all sorts of fields.
My child has chosen a figure from a different race or culture. Is that okay? Yes, since this is an educational event in which an actual person is being researched or acknowledged for their contribution, it is okay. However, that doesn’t mean that great care should not be taken in selecting pieces for costumes. When dressing up as a member of another race or culture, please maintain the following guidelines:
• NEVER make alterations to skin color or physical attributes in an effort to have your costume “look more like” someone from another race
• Avoid costuming that represents cultural signifiers to the majority, but do not accurately reflect the culture or the historical figure’s actual practice. Your child should wear the kind of clothes that the individual was/is reported to wear. For example, not all Native Americans wear feathers, not all Indian women wear saris and not all Japanese wear kimono. This doesn’t just apply to clothes, but also hair and jewelry.
• If you have any doubts about whether something is appropriative or demeaning, ask your child’s teacher BEFORE the event.