Reading Homework

Please check with your student to see if they were given a new reading homework passage.  These are the same passages you were given during our Parent Teacher Conferences.  Reading at home makes a huge difference.  All student are expected to read for 20 minutes each day outside of the classroom.  This reading can be done in a variety of ways.  One way that we read within our classroom is by completing “buddy reading” our classroom term for Dyad reading.  One partner is the “higher reader” and the other is the “developing reader.”  The developing reader tracks the words and the buddies read aloud together.  The developed reader hears their buddy and sees the word and tries to keep up with them.  The University of Utah has developed positive research behind the reading method and data shows this kind of buddy reading can help significantly help raise reading scores.  The developed reader also reads above their reading level according the research. Here is a wonderful resource from the State Office of Education on how you can utilize this type of reading within your home.

 

Home Projects

Reminder that our home projects are due Friday, January 18th.  Next week each grade level will be displaying their projects school wide.

Our display schedule:

Level 3: Wednesday, January 23rd

Level 2: Thursday, January 24th

Level 1: Friday, January 25th

The students have been having an amazing time with all of our fun STEM activities this week.  Thank you for your support with these home projects.

Snack

Our cupboard is completely bare and we are asking for help with snack sign ups.  Our hope is that every family will donate at least one week worth of snack during the school year.  If you are able to provide 2 weeks, this helps even more. Snack sign up can be found on our school track it forward web site here.  Our class sign ups can be found on the Monday of each week.  If the box is blue, this means we still need snack for that week.  Thanks so much for your support.

Screenagers

On January 10th from 6-7:30 PM, MMA will be screening the documentary SCREENAGERS for all interested parents, students and friends of the school in the Junior High commons area.

SCREENAGERS – The average child in America spends more time consuming electronic media than going to school, with many teenagers going online “almost constantly.” In SCREENAGERS, physician and filmmaker Delaney takes a deeply personal approach as she probes into family life to explores parental struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Through poignant and funny stories along with insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, SCREENAGERS reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.

Happy New Year

I want to wish everyone a wonderful New Year!  We have had a great start after our winter break.  We have been reviewing the 7 habits and setting goals for the remainder of our school year.  This week we officially make our mid-year mark.   We have been reviewing our grace and courtesy and the importance of working hard and stretching our brains.

We will not have school on Friday, January 11th.  This is a professional development day for teachers.  Reminder that our upcoming home projects are due the following Friday, January 18th.

Thank you for your continued support, especially with reading within the home.  Our goal is 20 minutes each day outside of the classroom.  I see a huge difference with those students who read outside of the classroom.

Winter Time

We just wanted to offer a reminder regarding illness this time of year.  It doesn’t take much for the students to spread their germs to one another in a small environment where we are sharing Montessori materials and community supplies.  We ask that students are fever free for 24 hours, without fever reducing medicines, and have not thrown up for 24 hours, before they return back to the classroom.  This allows for us to minimize the spread of illness.

We are also having a significant issue with students arriving late to class.  We start our morning line promptly at 8:30 a.m.  When students arrive late, they are missing out on key lessons and the opportunity to start their day prepared.  The weather this time of year can create additional delays.  We have had a line lesson regarding the importance of arriving on time and helping support our families at home, so we can arrive to school prepared for the day.

Thank you for your continued support.

 

Parent Education Night

Parent Education Night
 
Mark your calendars for an exciting, educational evening, Thursday, December 6th 5:30-6: 30 p.m. Our teachers have heard you and understand that you would like more knowledge about what Montessori looks, sounds, and feels like, how it can benefit you and your child, and a better connection to some of its vocabulary. We will host a night with two prime topics being featured: Grace and Courtesy (Communication, Independence, Movement, and Self-Discipline) and The Benefits of Montessori (how it differs from traditional schooling). After a short introduction together in the small gym, we will break out into groups to discuss the two topics. We look forward to seeing you all there! Any questions can be directed to sellis@mariamontessoriacademy.org or jhall@mariamontessoriacademy.org.