More 2018 School Year Info

Dear Parents, Students and Staff,

We are excited to have you all back and look forward to another great year together. We have planned a full calendar of events this year and have provided a Calendar of Events in the Welcome Back Packet that we handed out at Back to School Night. We will be having many fun and/or educational events which will be held both on campus and around the community. We will be also holding three Parent Nights; topics include: Bringing Montessori Into the Home Environment, the Montessori Language Curriculum, and the Montessori Mathematics Curriculum. If you were not able to come to Back to School Night please make sure you pick up an information packet from your child’s teacher.

CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS

We know that it is difficult for most of you to get time off and see your child in action at school. Please go to our Facebook and Instagram pages and check out the pictures and videos that we regularly post of the children doing their work. You might wish to observe in your child’s classroom. It is better to schedule an in-class visit a few months into the school year when the classroom routine is established, and a visit will not be distracting to the children as they develop concentration. Your child’s teacher can talk to you more about ways to get involved in your child’s classroom. You can sign up for a classroom observation with your child’s teacher or through our online system on our website.

SCHOLASTIC BOOKS

A huge portion of our mission here at MAU is early literacy intervention. I can’t express how important it is for the children to be read to every day. As your child begins to read it’s important to encourage your child to read to you or on their own every day at home. To encourage this, we like to offer the Scholastic Reading Club program which offers reasonable prices for books. For each purchase, we receive credits towards books that will go into your child’s classroom. Over time our books get worn and tattered and need to be replaced. It is also very exciting for the children to see new books in the environment and hear new stories. Books make great gifts and we will be having a book exchange during the holiday season. We have put this month’s catalogue in your child’s file, but you may also purchase online using the class code. Online you have access to all the different catalogues that Scholastic offers. Orders will be due on Friday, September 21, 2018.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION

We are going to start to collect Box Tops for Education again. Please go to Boxtops4education.com for more information about participating products. We will be handing out collection sheets themed specifically for each month, but you may also just bring in the Box Tops without attaching them to the form. You can bring your Box Tops to the office or leave it with your child’s teacher. Each Box Top is worth $.10 and can help us reach our fundraising goals.

UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS/CHAPERONE REQUIREMENTS

Both Ms. Kellsie’s and Ms. Shivika’s Children’s House Classrooms will be going to the LA County Fair on Friday, September 21, 2018. We will be departing via bus at 8:30AM. Children two and under will need to leave their car seat for the trip. Children 3 and older will not need to have a car seat but will be buckled with a lap belt provided on the bus. Parents wishing to Chaperone must have on file with the office: a current and valid Identification Card, a TB test (within one year of first volunteering), and proof of immunization against measles, pertussis and the flu (or sign a declination that you do not get the flu shot). There will be no acceptations to this policy so please get this information to the office at least one week prior to the field trip for consideration. Permission slips will be handed out two weeks before our trip.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SIGNING IN AND OUT

We discussed at the Back to School Night the importance of signing in and out each day. The person bringing the child to the school shall sign the child in on the school’s sign-in/out sheet. The child shall not be admitted to the school unless there is contact between the school and the person bringing the child to school. Such person shall remain at the school until the child is accepted by a School representative. When picking up the child from the School, the parent or parent designee on record in the office shall sign the child out on the School’s sign-in/out sheet. The State of California requires that a person must be at least 18 years of age and give a complete signature when dropping off or removing a child from the facility. All new faces must present identification to authenticate their identity and will be checked for authorization prior to entry in the facility. The school’s responsibility for the health and safety of the child shall be immediately terminated once the child leaves the school premises. There is a $10 fee each instance of failing to sign in or out. We don’t wish to ever charge this fee, so we encourage you to make signing in and out the first thing you do each time you enter the premises.

NEW FACILITY

We are very close to breaking ground on our new facility located at 934 N. Mountain Avenue here in Upland. We were so excited to share with everyone at Back to School Night the construction plans and discuss a little about what to expect when we move. We are still looking at an October or November move date and will know more precisely as construction proposals come in and we see what a reasonable timeframe for construction will be. When it comes time to move it will be a rather swift process. We will close the existing programs after school on a Friday and will open in the new location on the following Monday. This will be quite a feat and if you are able we would love your help in making sure we can move the materials in time to have a great first day in our new facility. We will set up a night to tour the new facility when it is nearing completion so that parents can see what to expect on the first day. We will also be modifying our Parent Handbook to address things particular to the site setup. The plans for construction are available in the office if you would like to see them. If you have any more questions about the move, feel free to talk with Ms. Brittney or Mr. Adam in the office when they are available.

We look forward to a wonderful year!

Adam Thewes, Program Director