Hello, Montessori families, and welcome to a new school year in the St. Mary's Montessori Children's House! I'd like to tell you a little about our eventful first day.
First of all, I want to acknowledge that this is a school year unlike any other. Our world is different, and therefore school will be a bit different as well. To that end, our goal for the first few days (perhaps into few weeks) will be to create a nurturing, enticing, predictable environment for your children. Getting our routine to become, well, routine, is job number one. Learning about masks, sanitizing, and distancing will be added to our regular beginning lessons about choosing work for oneself, asking for lessons, and walking in a line with classmates. We will reinforce these lessons daily, and give many reminders. For the next couple of weeks, your child may be tired, cranky, and even resistant to going to school. This is completely normal. Simply incorporating a new routine into our lives takes energy, so this is your child's primary "job" for a while. Please help us by keeping your child as rested as possible, and keep your morning routines calm and happy. If your little one cries as they enter the school, we find that a quick and cheerful goodbye, with an assurance that you know they'll have fun, is the best response. Lingering for a long time, or looking distressed yourself, only sends a message to your child that they are right to be worried. Once our students enter the classroom, we work to find interesting things to occupy their hands and minds. Each child is warmly welcomed every day as an important member of our community. Now for some housekeeping: as many of you saw, school dismissal was very long today for our children who were picked up. Therefore, the Montessori class will dismiss both half-day (11 am) and full-day (2 pm) students from door B1 in order to lesson the congestion. Please park in the lot next to door B1 (also called the Parish Center door), and walk to the building. Teachers will be inside with your children. When we identify the adult picking up, we will walk your child to meet you outside the door. Please do not come into the building. If there is more than one parent waiting, please make a socially distant line, and we will dismiss in that order. A note will be handed out tomorrow at drop-off detailing this as well. If your Montessori student has an older sibling at St. Mary's, they will be met by their sibling at the Montessori classroom, and go to the regular door that was used today for dismissal. In the morning, please be aware that the drop off window is between 7:30 to 7:50 am. That means doors may be closed at 7:50 if there are no cars. However, a teacher will stay to assist children out of cars until there is no line, even if that extends beyond 7:50. Please stay in the car, and let the teachers unbuckle students and assist them to the building. As we practice, it will go more smoothly every day! Thank you for your patience and flexibility to help us make new systems work!
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Ms. Teresa is just one of the three fantastic teachers in St. Mary's Montessori Children's House! |