Sunflower Montessori 2011-2012 School year
We are looking forward to the upcoming year at Sunflower Montessori. This year we have made some changes to make your child’s experience at Sunflower the absolutely best it can be. We have also held onto the best parts of the school from the years past!
Below and in this packet are some important pieces of information to make our child’s experience joyous, peaceful and enriching. It also contains information to help you, as the parent, understand and anticipate our expectations of you, and vice versa. In this packet contains the Sunflower Montessori Handbook, the 2011-2012 school calendar, an emergency contact form, and information about our upcoming student/parent orientation.
TEACHERS Miss Correy is in the process of the continuing to develop our geographically based curriculum. This year she will be leading the children in math. Miss Cheryl will continue her beloved science and geography program that aligns with the larger curriculum of the school. We are also looking forward to introducing Miss Allison Tierney-Barnes, an experienced Montessorian, as our language teacher. Grandma Midge will be cooking our nutritious, local, organic, homemade and delicious hot breakfasts and lunches every morning, as well as leading the children in baking and practical life projects. Miss Sam will continue as a teacher’s aide, and the director of our afternoon program. Miss Katie, the school’s administrator, will answer questions concerning schedules, payments, academic conference scheduling, etc., and will be in the office every day from 10-12, and 3-5. As always, all of our primary teachers are Montessori certified.
SPECIALISTS In addition to our lovely teachers, we are also looking forward to our fabulous specialists. Mr. Michael will again be joining us on Mondays for theater and imaginary play. On Wednesday Miss Becky, our former art and math teacher, will be joining us for the “art cart”-- a one-of-a-kind art curriculum developed by Becky to include real art education, clay, painting, drawing, and much more in a graduating skills format. Matt Nord, owner of Tangled Tones, will be conducting our weekly music classes.
GETTING STARTED The first official day of school is on September 6th , but we are hosting a parent/child orientation morning from 10-11:30 on August 25th. If your child is already attending Sunflower, it will be a normal school day schedule, and “experienced” parents do not have to come. New parents and kids should come in and join us for circle, meet our teachers, enjoy a snack and wander through the school. Each new child will be given a tour guide (or two) to help them find their hook, put away their sleeping stuff, and just get comfortable in general. It’s lots of fun and really helps our newest students get an idea of what to expect.
Come to our orientation with your emergency contact form filled out, and any questions. We will get a chance to talk when the kids are having a snack.
WHAT TO BRING Kids need a change or two of clothing, sleeping bag and pillow (if they stay for nap), a completed emergency contact form, and a back pack. Kids will need extra diapers and wipes if potty training and a bottle of sunscreen, which we will keep at the school for them. Everything else is provided!
LUNCHES We offer lunches at no additional charge, as eating and sharing food is a central part of our culture and our human experience. All of our lunches are homemade, organic and locally sourced (when available). Much care and consideration has gone into the creation of our menu, and we are always open to new recipe ideas. We will be offering hot lunch Monday through Thursday. Picnic lunch was such a hit over the summer that we will be continuing throughout the year, so please plan on packing a lunch on Fridays.
DROP OFF/PICK UP The school opens at 7:30. Children signed up for the full day program may be dropped off anytime. Children scheduled to attend for a ½ day (12:30 pick up) or a school day (3:30 pick up) schedule should not be dropped off before 8:45, as our staffing is based on when children are scheduled to come in, and when they are scheduled to go home. If you drop your child off early, or pick up late, you will be charged an extended day fee for the day. If your child is dropped off early or picked up late consistently (three or more times in one month) your schedule option will automatically change to the next schedule, and we will adjust our staffing accordingly.
Please help make your child’s transition into the school day as quick and graceful as possible. Please do not enter the classrooms, or playground at morning drop off. Extended and emotional goodbyes in the morning create a difficult transition for children to recover from. If your child is upset at drop off, a teacher will comfort them. If they remain upset, we will call you. Please feel free to come in, and walk through the school, and take more time to pick up in the afternoon.
OTHER DETAILS… We do not do make up days or exchange days. Our scheduling determines how much staffing we require and it is very difficult to rearrange the teacher’s schedules in order to accommodate non-scheduled children. You may add a day for a fee (if there is available room). Requests for slight changes in scheduling must be made at least 24 hours in advance. Major or permanent scheduling changes may take up to 30 days, so please give us as much notice as possible.
Tuition is due on the first day of the month. It is considered late if not paid by the 10th and a late fee of $30 is added to the bill. Care will not be extended after the 15th of the month is tuition has not been paid in full.
Please call Katie with any questions, and plan on joining us for our annual fundraiser and social on Sunday, August 21st at 4:30 at Splash Montana for a barbecue, raffle, games and private swim at Splash. Wristbands are $10 each.
See you soon!!!!