9/5/17- Back to School Newsletter

Important Events (Always defer to the parent calendar on our website, if you notice a discrepancy.)

• Early Release:  Monday, Sept 11 (NOTE: This is an earlier early release time than last year.)
• Early Release:  Monday, Sept 25 (NOTE: This is an earlier early release time than last year.)
• Open House/Parent Ed Night - Look for more details, we are hoping for 100% attendance, because we want to update families on some new routines and be able to check in with two new adults on our team.

Weekly Update:

We are so excited to kick off this year!  We have new 4th years to meet.  5th and 6th years who have grown and are ready for bigger challenges, and even more inspiring work.  To start the year, we thought we thought we would start with just some tips/reminders of the classroom expectations that are easy to lose track of.  Please read them with your child.  Also, please sign and return the volunteer form by the end of the week.

Classroom Culture Preview:

Homework:

• The only planned weekly homework will be bringing home their weekly reflection letter on Tuesdays, discussing it with parents, getting it signed and bringing it back by Thursday (with their Tuesday Folders).  Generally speaking, routine homework that goes out to every child every night is not a part of Montessori philosophy.  However, students benefit from choosing activities to do (especially away from screens) that involve concentration, focus, and problem solving- thus establishing patterns of responsibility and self-directed learning.  This can take the form of being in clubs, sports, theater groups, practicing an instrument, having a chore list, or making a homework plan with parents to practice important skills like reading.  Like last year, we will send home a best practices letter at the open house night.  

Electronics:  

• Students do have google accounts so they can save work, access our chromebooks, and develop digital literacy and citizenship.  Please support this (if you allow screen time at home) by monitoring its use at home and helping continue to talk about and learn together. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ is a resource that has reviews of games, books, websites, and shows to help you get a deeper look at them from a parent’s perspective.  It also has many resources on how to support your child’s safe and civic development in the sometimes scary wide world of the internet.
• We recommend that cell phones/electronics  be left at home, but if they come to school they must be turned in each day at the start of the day.  

Parent Communication:

• We have a classroom blog now.  It will have the newsletter each week on it, as well as occasional additional information.  The URL is: crsblueherons.blogspot.com
• Students will be bringing home letters every Tuesday reflecting on their previous week.  They will also be bringing home their completed learning journal every 3(ish) weeks.  For both of these items, we ask that you discuss them with your child, sign them, and send them back in the Tuesday Folder by THURSDAY of each week.

Supply List

• The supply list is on our blog (see above for the URL).
• Please remember to have your child have a labeled water bottle or travel mug that closes.  We have a water heater available this year, so tea will be available to students who have sealing mugs.
• Please remember the students will be going outside 1-3 times daily and they need to have shoes available that won’t track mud and dirt in- the community is concerned about the carpets, and we want to try to protect them as best we can.
• Thank you for contributing to the supply fund.  Montessori education has so much art, creation, and materials, that your supply contribution allows us to sustain our paper/art supplies, feed our animals, have a base budget for goings out, and have organizational systems for all the students.  Thank you!   

Food/Snack/Coffee:   

• Students will be allowed to have snack each day.  We ask that it is healthy.  We know that families vary widely on what they describe as healthy.  Here are a few quick things we ask:
• Include Proteins: Cheeses, Nuts, Jerky, etc can provide the energy needed to get to lunch happily.
• Include Crunch: Things that crunch or pop like carrots, apples, grapes, etc can be a great pick-me-up and have been shown to help as much as coffee for waking up drowsy students
• Please Avoid Chips: Takis, Doritos, Goldfish, Potato Chips- while not evil often are messy and leave children still hungry.
• Please Monitor Portion Control: An entire bag of trail mix, a full bag of chips, a bunch of bananas- these are all big enough to cause challenges with storing, temptation for trading, and challenges eating the right amount.  Please send the portion you hope your child will eat.     
• Microwaves: Their snack should NOT need to be microwaved (such as unpopped popcorn).  Their lunch will be able to be microwaved.   

• Students should NOT be bringing coffee, blended drinks, juice, or other drinks with them to school.  We have water available, and plan on having tea available (if students have the proper mug) during the work time.  If students bring other drinks, they will be asked to dispose of them before PE.

Schedule:

• The 2017 start of year schedule is also on the blog so you can see what a day looks like for your child.  A couple highlights: We START each day with PE at 8:30 sharp.  Students will get their stuff out and lay it out before going to PE each day, so please arrive on time.  Our lunch starts at 12:15 (followed by recess).

Birthdays:

• We will mostly be continuing the birthday celebration expectations from last year.  Here is the outline:
• Parents and family members are invited to come in to celebrate birthday circles.
• Before your child’s birthday email Matt that you would like to come in, and what day you would like to come in, and if you are bringing a treat to share.  
• Children are expected to make and bring a timeline on their birthday.  They can add pictures, and likely will need help from you to figure out the beginning of their lives.  This is a great way to practice making a timeline and research themselves by interviewing parents/older friends and family members.  
• The birthday circles will be held at either 9:00 AM, 1:15 PM, or 3:00 each day.
• The birthday circle takes about 15 minutes and follows this outline: Gather in a circle, walk around the sun (parents can share information about their child), sing, then share  a snack and/or small time together.
• Families are allowed to bring treats to share.  This is not expected, but many families enjoy it.  We ask that if you are bringing something with gluten, dairy, or food dye in it, that you have an alternate option as well (there are great, affordable, tasty fruit popsicles available at most grocery stores).   If you buy food, please bring in all packaging so students with severe allergies etc can check the ingredients.

Gratitude Corner:

• Thank you so much to the Lisa G, Lily, Ben, and Hilary D for coming in the week before school and helping with many projects!
• Thank you for Rebecca’s family for helping take care of Luna for the end of the summer.
• Christine Eubanks for making a beautiful birthday  wall display, and for making the labels for our cubbies.