Hope Montessori Newsletter: Winter 2015 Important Reminders Illness: We all know that it can be hard to keep children healthy in winter. Germs spread quickly, despite our best efforts. We are taking every possible precaution to help keep your child safe and healthy. After all of the children have gone home each day, we thoroughly clean each room. We are also routinely cleaning the work and the free time. We ask that you help us by keeping your child home if they are sick. While children are required to stay home until they have been fever free, without fever reducer, for at least 24 hours, this should not be your only criteria. Children can be sick even when they don’t have a fever. Please watch for any signs that your child isn’t feeling well and keep them home until you are sure that they are healthy. We understand that this is difficult, especially when you are expected to be at work, but we ask that you do this as a courtesy to our Hope community. If you take your child to the doctor, please report your child’s diagnosis to the front office so we can notify other families of contagious illnesses. Your child’s name will not be disclosed. Thank you for partnering with us to keep your children healthy. Parking Lot Safety: Please drive with caution and refrain from using your cell phone while entering and exiting the parking lot. Make sure you are paying attention and looking for children leaving the building or waiting to get into their car. Menu Changes: We have made some updates to our menu. We will no longer be serving White Chicken Chili or Egg Salad. Instead, we will serve Meatloaf and a Chicken Club Wrap. The updated menu is posted on the parent board and you may ask the front office if you would like a copy. Summer and Fall Re-Enrollment: As we plan for the summer and the fall, we ask that you fill out re-enrollment forms. This helps ensure that we have space available for your child. Re-enrollment forms will be in your child’s folder in March and should be returned to the front office with your $125 enrollment fee by Friday, April 10th. If your child’s schedule will be changing for the summer or the fall, please speak directly to Anne or Rachel to make sure we can accommodate your needs. Tuition Reminder: Don’t forget that tuition is due by the 5th of each month. If you arrive at school before someone is in the office, you can call 314-984-8111 to make a payment over the phone between 8:00am and 5:00pm. Parent/Child Night: On Wednesday, March 11 th from 6:00-7:00pm, the children in the preschool classrooms will have the opportunity to bring their parents to school so they can show them the work that they do during the day. This is a very fun night and the children LOVE to show you their work. If you attended this event in the fall, this is a wonderful opportunity to see how much your child has learned in the last four months. Childcare will be provided for siblings if they are students currently enrolled at our school. Please sign up on your child’s classroom door if you plan to attend. Special Thanks Thank you for arranging alternative care for your children so our staff could attend our annual professional conference. It was a time of learning and reflection and we all came back refreshed and with new ideas to finish out the school year. A Note From the Director: Sometimes at the beginning of a new year, we, as parents, begin thinking about changes that we can make. We ask what activities we can do as a family, how we can we simplify our lives, or how we can take advantage of our time together every day. Often I hear parents saying how they need to hurry because they have gymnastics, swimming lessons, library trips…… and so many other activities. All of those activities are important, but I would also encourage families to slow down and enjoy time together. Having a family dinner is a great time to connect and talk about your child’s day. Ask your child open-ended questions such as, “What did you do today?” Leave it open so they can share whatever they want. Asking a lot of questions can be overwhelming and a cause for frustration. Talk about your day to your child/children as well. Tell them how you saw a very big dump truck on your way to work or how you saw a really pretty tree beginning to blossom. These are things children can relate to and can help start conversations. Most of us, as adults, spend our days in the high tech world, running back and forth, always on the phone or trying to stay on schedule. Your child though, has a much different experience than you. During the day, your child is in a Montessori environment that encourages peace, empathy and respect. The children work with Montessori materials that encourage independence, order, confidence, and patience. The children are not in an environment that beeps, buzzes, lights up or says, “great job, you got it right!” Instead, they are in an environment that gives them time and space to figure things out on their own. They are given age appropriate materials to challenge them and the built-in control of error allows them to see for themselves if the work is done properly. The teachers serve as observers and guide the children toward challenging work when they’re ready. What does this mean for you as a parent? Relax and allow the learning process to take place. Watch your child and listen to them. Give them an opportunity to show you what they know before you step in and correct them. Don’t rush them through life, but instead give them a chance to learn and grow! I was in a preschool classroom today and a child was upset. I went over to talk to the child and another classmate came over to see if this child was ok. I said that she was sad and wanted her mommy. This little girl looked at her friend and rubbed her back, asking her if she is ok. To me, that is the beauty of our Montessori environments. What a wonderful way to teach compassion and empathy! I hope you are able to experience moments like this at home with your child every day. Sincerely, Anne To keep alive that enthusiasm is the secret of real guidance, and it will not provide a difficult task, provided that the attitude towards the child’s acts be that of respect, calm and waiting, and provided that he be left free in his movements and experiences. -Maria Montessori