September 2011 Parent Newsletter

Greetings, and welcome to the 2011 – 2012 school year! We are truly excited to be back, and have spent the last week and more in preparing the classrooms, fine tuning curriculum, and thinking about your child and how excited we are for he/she to be with us.

For those returning, moving up, or new I would like to share or refresh some procedures for the year:

We know that communication is so important to the confidence and success your child experiences at FCD. That is why each week your child’s weekly folder will go home with important updates and “work” to be signed and returned Monday of the following week. The Primary (3 – Kdg) will include a weekly newsletter, while the Pre-Primary will publish a bi-weekly newsletter. Of course, additional communications will be sent home during the week. It is important that your child have a small bookbag to carry all of these papers. Thanks!

Carpool – Optional - this is offered between 8:45am – 9am at the sidewalk area near the mailbox. Please do not block the circle, and having your child on the right passenger side helps for a safe exit. Ms. Debbie, Ms. Lorraine, Ms. Rebekah, and Ms. Shoshana will all be assisting with carpool.

Please strive to be on time. Children do not like walking into a class that has already started. Allow yourselves time in the morning so that you are not rushed. Conversely, please be sure to pick your child up on time at noon or 3pm. This year we are going to have the Primary children dismissed from the playground at 3pm. (Pre-Primary will be dismissed from classroom.) Parents would buzz in, come down the hall to the back door, and children who go home at 3pm will be on the left side of the playground. Your child’s teacher must see you, then she will sign you out. Bookbags can be collected from the hallway as you pass your child’s classroom and exit the building. We tried this dismissal procedure during the summer program and it seemed to work well. Of course, if the weather is bad/too cold, etc. we would have inside dismissal.

Also, as a reminder, and with the weather still warm and sunny, please apply sunscreen before arrival and we will follow-up during the day, as needed. Thanks!

This week we will be celebrating Maria Montessori’s Birthday!

She was born August 31, 1870. I will be visiting the classrooms to introduce or review her life, and why we call this a Montessori School. On Wednesday and Thursday we will host a coffee and donuts social for parents at arrival in Maria’s honor and hope that you will join us between 7am – 9am.

Next week we will begin back to school class dinners: Room 1 on Tuesday, September 6^th, Room 3 on Wednesday, September 7^th, and Room 2 on Thursday, September 8^th. Please arrive at 5:30pm for Parent Meeting, while children can play on the playground with staff supervision. Then at 6:15pm we would gather to enjoy a potluck meal with FCD providing drinks and desserts. A sign-up will be posted on your classroom door this week. We hope that you have this scheduled on your calendars! The Pre-Primary will be meeting on Wednesday, September 14^th.

Please note 2 changes on the year long calendar:

1. Our pasta/salad lunch is moved to Friday, September 16^th, not September 8^th. A permission slip will be going home soon.

2. Our Montessori Matinee Workshop for Parents is moved to Saturday, October 8^th @ 2pm, not Saturday, September 17^th, due to a staff development workshop.

Finally, as a staff we are adopting the “virtues” of simplicity, patience, and compassion as our theme this year. I think Maria would agree! Welcome, and we are so glad that you are here!

Ms. Louise, Director