Month: January 2019

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Day before the fun run information

Dear parents,

Here is the last piece of information from the fun run organizers:

Parents,

The Maria Montessori Academy Fun Run is tomorrow! Thank you to all our families who have been working hard to raise funds for our school. We truly appreciate your support!

There is only one day left in the program. That makes tonight THE LAST NIGHT FOR PLEDGING before the Maria Montessori Academy Fun Run.

Would you consider reaching out to one or two more sponsors tonight?

If you have any questions, please let me know. We hope to see you and your family tomorrow at the big event!

Have a wonderful day! 

P.S. It’s not too late to register your child on funrun.com! To sign up, search for your school or use our school registration code: 747234

Thanks – John

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Fun run weekend information post

Dear parents,

Here is some more information about the Fun Run next Friday:

Parents,

Thank you again for supporting our school through the Maria Montessori Academy Fun Run!

This weekend we are issuing a special challenge! Your child can earn a bonus prize simply by getting a qualifying pledge this weekend only. Check out funrun.com for details!

And if you’re looking for the easiest way to ask for a pledge, just upload a photo of your student to funrun.com to create a personalized Student Star video. This fun, hilarious video starring your child can be shared by email or social media to connect with sponsors and ask for a pledge.

Thank you again for helping our class!

P.S. – If you haven’t registered your child on funrun.com, use our school registration code: 747234

Thanks – John

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Fun Run information and Chili cook off

Dear parents,

You may be aware that the school has entered into a new fundraising initiative called the “Fun Run.” Students and parents are encouraged to sign up through the link below and pledge support for their child as they attempt to run/walk/jump/skip/floss up to 35 laps around the gym.

Here is the first email from the organizers of the fun run:

Parents,

Our class is having a blast preparing for the Maria Montessori Academy Fun Run coming up soon! We’ve also begun to learn how to solve problems using character through Boosterthon’s character theme, MindSpark Mystery Lab. While they’re teaming up with the MindSpark Kids to solve mysteries, your students will learn five 21st-century character traits that will help strengthen themselves and our world. Make sure to ask your students what they’ve learned each day, and together you can watch the story unfold on funrun.com!

Remember, we need your help connecting to sponsors who can make a pledge to help our school! Please make sure all pledges for the Maria Montessori Academy Fun Run are entered on funrun.com. The more pledges we get, the more incentives our class earns on our Pledge-O-Meter.

Thank you for your generosity and support of our school. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Have a great day!

P.S. Make sure to register your child on funrun.com. Use our school registration code: 747234

The fun run will be held on February 1st.

On the Tuesday 29th January before that is the annual “chili cook off.” The information is in the poster below and here is the link to sign up and bring a pot of chili to the event:

https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/453516

The next link is for any 6th graders who want to volunteer at the chili cook off:

https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/457150

Thank you everyone!

John

Big picture

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Dress code and volunteer still needed for JA Biztown

Dear parents,

I sent the dress code home with students this afternoon, as I am having to spend more time addressing dress code infractions instead of carrying out instruction. Typically, students are continuing to wear outdoor clothes, such as hoodies, or tops with patterns, designs and logos in the classroom. If your children have plain tops, then that is acceptable to wear inside school.

Unfortunately, one of our parent volunteers has had to drop out of JA Biztown. I know it’s short notice, but if you can volunteer for next Friday January 18th, then please let me know ASAP.

Thank you everybody!

John

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STEM week

Dear parents,

Next week is a busy week with lots of assemblies and activities going on. The 4th graders will be doing their STEM project (involving water bottle tossing), throughout the week and displaying on Friday 18th in the South Kiva. Again, if you have any plastic water bottles, please send them in with your student on Monday.

Tuesday 15th: 6th graders are going to STARBASE – please try to be at North Shore by 8:20, so we can leave promptly. 5th graders will be displaying their Invention Convention.

Wednesday 16th: Science Fair for 6th graders. Parents are welcome to visit the fair in the Junior High Gym from 3 pm onwards.

Friday 18th: 5th graders are going to JA Biztown. We leave the North Shore parking lot at 7:20 am and will be returning at approximately 2:30 pm. 4th graders will display their STEM project.

And just to remind you, on Monday 21st there is no school because of Martin Luther King Jr day.

Thanks everybody!

John

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Updated information for STEM week, JA Biztown, and “SCREENAGERS”

Dear parents,

Some updates for STEM week:

  • 5th graders will display their invention convention on Tuesday January 15th.
  • The 4th graders will display their in-school STEM project on Friday January 18th.
  • The 5th graders will be leaving at 7:20 am on Friday January 18th from North Shore parking lot to go to JA Biztown.

Here is some information about the documentary “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.

Again, if you have any questions, then please email me.

Thank you – John

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Information for the New Year

Dear parents,

I hope you had a wonderful and happy holiday break! On Thursday and Friday we eased back into the routine with “specials” (PE, music and computing) on Thursday and then some cultural (social studies and geography) work on Friday morning, looking at the first presidents and US geographical regions. This sets us up to start examining the Westward Expansion of the continent (which some of the students had heard of thanks to the movie Jumanji 2!), starting with Lewis and Clarke. In the afternoon we did some New-Year-themed art work.

Next week is a regular week, except that Friday January 11th is a professional development day for teachers, meaning that there is no school for students that day. Also, on Monday, the 6th graders will be having their first STARBASE field trip. Please be at North Shore parking lot no later than 8:30. The following STEM week from January 14th through 18th is a busier one.

On Monday 14th, the 5th graders are expected to have their Invention Convention/Engineering model ready to display. They are not giving presentations outside the classroom, but I am asking for presentations to their class.

On Tuesday 14th, the 6th graders are going to STARBASE.

Wednesday 16th is the science fair for 6th graders. They should be ready to have their posters in the small gym by 8:30 am. Please do not bring any live animals or plants into the gym. If you have chosen an engineering project then either bring photographs, or if it is small enough the actual apparatus. If you have taken videos, or still shots of the experiment and wish to show them at the fair, then the student is responsible to bring in their own device. There will not be room to charge the device, so make sure it is charged before the fair. Make sure your video is only a couple of minutes long, as judges have a maximum of 10 minutes to spend at each project.

Parents are welcome to come and view the fair after 3 o’clock and we will be ending the open session at 4.30. Please encourage your student to leave their science fair board until the next day, when they can collect it first thing in the morning. Please do not come in to view the fair during the day (from 8.45-3 pm).

Also, if your child has not done so already, I need the title of their project and exactly what they are going to do by Tuesday this coming week.

On Friday 18th, the 5th graders are going to JA Biztown. There are two 5th grade parents who have volunteered to go as chaperones, but if you are still interested, please let me know. If you haven’t done so already, please return the permission slips to me ASAP. The requested donation is $5, either by cash or check to the front office.

During STEM week the 4th graders will be doing a STEM project in class. There will be no need to take the project work home, unless the student has failed to complete the necessary work in class.

Next, the administration has asked teachers to communicate with you that:

this Friday, January 4th, the Intent to Return enrollment period began. This is a time when you will receive an email (you may have done so already) that asks you to officially indicate your intent for the 2019-20 school year. You will have to say whether your enrolled child/children is/are returning for the next school year or not.

If you have any questions about the process or how to secure your spot at MMA for the 2019-20 school year, please communicate directly to the front office and/or the principal René Baker. 

Lastly, there is no school on Monday January 21st for Martin Luther King Day.

Thank you everybody and have an enjoyable rest of the weekend.

John