Back to School Newsletter

It is Back to School Night! We are so excited to begin the 2020-2021 School Year and look forward to what this year will bring for our students and families. Although we are starting with restrictions, it is our hope that at some point we can return to a typical event and class schedule for MAU. Because of the ongoing health situation, we want to remind everyone that we have specific protocols when on campus. Please see the COVID 19 tab on our website for more information. All adults are required to wear face masks while on campus. All children 2 and older who can tolerate the mask without touching it or their face constantly are encouraged to wear a mask as well. Please maintain 6 feet distance from other families while in the hallways to the best of your ability. While we have increased our efforts to keep the classroom sanitary, the biggest thing we ask all of you is to make sure your children are healthy when coming to school. If you or your child has been exposed to COVID 19, please do not have your child return unless you have been cleared to go back. Our general sick policy requires a 24-hour get-well period. Children who are sick should be free of symptoms for 24 hours or may return with a doctors’ note. If the school should have to close, either partially or fully due to COVID 19, then we will not charge tuition during that time.

Additionally, we are not planning on holding any of our normal events in-person such as the Harvest Festival, Winter Program, etc. for the remainder of the 2020 calendar year. Some of the events will go online and some will be cancelled all together. For now, we will still plan on a Winter Program and may possibly just record the performance in the classroom and provide a link for parents to view. We will have more info about this as we get closer to the event. Our protocols also affect our off-campus field trips and in-person workshops/Parent Education Nights. Your children’s teachers are researching what appropriate virtual experiences are available to our students. We will also be looking at bringing exhibits to us, although these will be done out of the classroom and parents may request that their child do not attend if they have safety concerns. All visitors are required to do temperature checks when entering the facility. All other workshops/Parent Education Nights will be held virtually this fall. However, we will be resuming our in-person after-school classes. Webby Dance will resume Monday, September 14th and Soccer Shots will be resuming on Thursday, September 17th. Please see the links in our Programs and Parents sections of our website www.montessoriacademyca.com to sign up for these extra-curricular activities. Our website is a great way to know what is going on at MAU. Meal menus and ordering links, news, events, calendars, classroom wish lists and other links are available for parents. Please take advantage of this resource this year.

This is the time of year where I like to remind everyone about the importance of your child being on time. Our class day begins at 8:30 AM and most classes go to group immediately. If you arrive after 8:30 AM, this means that one of your child’s teachers needs to leave group or get up from a lesson to receive your child and take their temperature. Although sometimes unavoidable for a variety of reasons, please keep in mind that this does have an effect on the classroom. We try to promote stability and protect the work period as much as possible to help the children perfect the skills of concentration and focus. These are skills that will promote future academic success. Please also remember to sign your child in and out each day. We do charge a $10 fee for each instance you fail to do so. Our hope is that we do not ever need to charge that fee, but signing in and out is required by our licensing agency and considered a Type A violation for the school.

On another note, we will be placing a Scholastic Book order this month. You will receive an email with a link and our classroom code. We encourage families to read regularly, if possible daily to their child. It is one of the biggest steps you can take to beginning the process of teaching language and encourage a love of reading for your child. Every book you order gives us points that we can use to purchase books for the classroom. This months’ order is due Friday, September 25th.

As we navigate this school year much is unknown, but we are in this together! If you have any questions or concerns along the way Ms. Brittney or I are always available. We take pride in our relationships with our clients and work to listen to our families in how we can improve our programs. We are excited to announce that we have begun the 2nd Phase of our project. Our offices and lobby will be moving down to Suite E in the coming weeks as we make way for the classrooms that will be built where they are currently located. It is an exciting time as we look forward to expanding our programs even in these uncertain times. We thank you for continuing to support our programs! If you have time, please consider sharing your experience on sites such as YELP, Facebook, or other education sites to help spread the word. We understand the responsibility and trust you give us in caring for your children. We look forward to meeting or exceeding your expectations this year!

Thanks again,

Adam Thewes, Director