• Please plan to meet us on the northwest end of the park and the southwest end of the parking lot by the blue Tardis.  We will give you a map and a short orientation.
• Please have your students organized into groups of about 8-10 students if possible.
  The weather should be lovely but you may want some sunscreen!
  There is food for sale from $1.00 to $5.00 and of course everyone is welcome to take a lunch or snacks as well. 

Thank you!

Dear parents,

Here is the link to sign up for the field trip: Event Sign Up Sheet | Track It Forward

At the moment we have 3 chaperones who are able to take about 13-14 students. We have 30 students in the class, so are still at least three drivers short. If you could sign up that would be so helpful!

Thank you!

John

Dear parents,

Round about this time of the year we make salsa in the class and we will be making a batch this Friday afternoon. If you have any tomatoes, peppers, onions, cilantro, limes, or chips you could donate, then please send them in with your student.

Thank you!

John

Dear parents,

Here is an outline of the classroom policies and information:

Attendance

Please try to ensure that your student is on time for school. We start the day promptly at 8:30 and move straight into circle time where the day ahead is outlined to the students and any whole class activities are commenced.

Blog

As you are aware, nearly all communication regarding our classroom will be done through the class blog. Therefore, it is important that you subscribe to the blog in order to stay informed about field trips, homework and home projects etc… To subscribe, scroll down the page and on the right side you will see: “Subscribe to Mr John’s blog by email.” You have to follow the link in the email for this to then work.

Homework

You, or your students, may have heard the adage ” we don’t get homework in Montessori.” That is not strictly true. Students who do not complete required classwork will need to bring it home for completion. Likewise, once the online math program, IXL, is up and running, then students will be expected to use this at home, along with regular reading and spelling work and sometimes the online writing program, Utah Compose. Also, every 4-5 weeks, students will have a home project to complete. The first home project this year will be on Native Americans. 

Dress Code

If your student violates the school dress code policy, then a report will be sent home. The school’s policy can be found at:  https://mariamontessoriacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Dress-Code-Policy-MMA-signed-04.08.14.pdf

Field Trips

There are field trips for each grade scheduled through the year (American West Heritage Center – 4th grade; JA Biztown – 5th grade; The Redwoods – 6th grade) and we will endeavor to provide other field trips as the year progresses. The next field trip is the “Freedom Light” festival in Bountiful on September 21st. Permission slips will be sent home tomorrow (Thursday). Please make sure that you sign them and return them ASAP.

For our field trips we are usually reliant on parents volunteering to drive and chaperone our students. If you can help, then please email our Room Mom, Alisha Coakley, at eventhair@yahoo.com, and she will arrange the rides. We usually take the Frontrunner and Trax for at least one field trip as well.

Planners

Each student at MMA was given a planner in the first week of school. Planners are a tool provided by the school to develop your student’s planning and time management skills. Therefore, all students are expected to use planners to plan and record their work each day. As parents and guardians, please review their planner and question them about what they are doing. Then initial in the space provided at the bottom of the page. If a  student loses their planner, then it is a $15 cost to replace it.

Every Friday, each student will get a Weekly Work Evaluation to complete. This will allow them to see where they need to improve and what help they require from the teacher.  This evaluation will come home with their planners every Friday.

Again, please email me if you have any questions about your student or the class.

With thanks – John

Dear parents,

You should be seeing planners being brought home by the students. Planners form a dual purpose of planning the day’s work and provide evidence of work being completed. The students will also record their spelling words (in the future) along with any important future dates. Once you have read their planner please initial it under the day. We keep track of students who are using their planners effectively, and I will email you if we see that the planner is not being completed, or signed.

So, last week was a gentle re-introduction to school, with students getting to know each other through a variety of team building activities and then a variety of tasks to help them get to know the classroom. Next week, with students being present for a full day, we will continue with team building activities and moving into what are known as the “Great Lessons.” These were lessons initiated by Maria Montessori in order to give the students a more holistic perspective of themselves and their place on the earth and universe. We start with the “Story of the Universe,” before moving onto the “Timeline of Life,” and finally, “The coming of man.” All these “stories,” or lessons, were scripted by Maria Montessori, her family, or followers and are followed up by extension activities, typically involving some kind of art, writing, or research.

Along with the great lessons, we will be looking at writing narratives and this week, following on from the story of the universe, I will be focusing on science fiction narratives. We will also begin looking at vocabulary work and reading comprehension. With regards to math, there will be an introduction to word problems and basic algebra.

This year we are introducing  a new curriculum for our “cultural” studies. Cultural studies involve social studies, geography, zoology, botany and physical science. This year, our emphasis will be on the United States and so, we will begin by studying Native Americans.

With this theme of US history in mind, our first field trip is scheduled for Friday September 21, to “Freedom’s Light” at 400 North 200 West, in Bountiful. On this field trip the students will learn about the founding fathers, freedom fighters, the constitution and Ellis Island. We went there two years ago and had a great time. Typically, we will need 5-6 parent drivers to get us there, so if you can chaperone, please contact our room mom: Alisha Coakley at eventhair@yahoo.com.

Thanks everybody! I hope you all had a great weekend and as usual, if you have any queries, then please email me.

Many thanks – John

Dear parents,

Just a reminder that tomorrow (Monday) afternoon there will be a “sneak peak” in the classroom for anyone that it interested at the following times: 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, and 3:00. This is an opportunity for you to come and ask questions about Montessori, the class and the year ahead.

School begins at 8:30 on Tuesday and for the rest of the week there will be early outs. School finishes at 1 pm. Please make sure that either you, or a relative, or friend can collect your child at this time.

You are welcome to bring supplies either tomorrow, or Tuesday.

Thanks everyone!

John

Dear parents,

Here is the supply list for the 2018-19 school year (you can click on the link to open up the PDF). If you are still subscribed to the blog, but not coming back next year, please unsubscribe yourself to avoid further notifications.

Thank you!

2018-19 supply list

2018-19 Student Supply List for Mr. John’s class

What is required this school year?

• Flash drive – with the increasing use of computers this is now essential (a safer place to save work and allows students to bring work home if required).
• Colored pencils – we have a large selection of colored pencils in the class, but if you would like your child to have some personal ones then it is recommended.
• Blue or black pens – four (two of each).
• For new students to the class only: Three 2 inch or three 1-inch binders (one for math, language and social studies/science). Please do not bring anything bigger than a 2-inch binder – we are running out of shelf space! If you are a returning student then students should already have their own set of binders. We do not use composition notebooks in class.
• Plastic dividers for each binder (pocket dividers are optional).
• Trapper keeper. Can be optional, but a lot of students find them very useful.
• Twenty four #2 Pencils. If the student prefers to use mechanical pencils, it will be their responsibility to supply leads.
• Dry erase markers – one blue and one black, or a combination of blue, black, green and red.
• Scissors – appropriate for your child’s size/age and left or right handed.
• Handheld pencil sharpener with shavings catcher attached.
• Erasers for pencils – 10.
• Pink erasers – 2
• Clipboard – This can be optional. We have approximately 15 clipboards in the class. However, these tend to disappear, so a clipboard with the student’s name is a good idea.
• 12-inch ruler.
• 4 Glue sticks
• Compass and protractor for geometry.
• 2 rolls of paper towels.
• Plastic placemat for lunch – label on the back with your child’s name.
• Refillable water bottle – labeled with student’s name in permanent marker.
• Indoor shoes (slippers) – can be Croc-like, or plain slippers without cartoon characters or designs. No flip-flops please.

What is not required this year

• Crayons
• Kleenex
• Index cards
• Copy paper
• Zip lock bags
• Lined paper

Notice: the items on this list will be used during the regular school day. They may be brought from home on a voluntary basis. Otherwise, they will be furnished by the school.

Dear parents,

The schedule for next week is:

Monday: full day. We will be doing some debating, presentations and possibly making some salsa.

Tuesday: early out. Lower el graduation from 10.30-11.30. PTC from 2.10-6.50.

Wednesday: early out, Upper el graduation from 10.30-11.30. PTC from 1.30-6.50.

Thursday: early out. Movie in the morning: Coco, to tie in with our Hispanic Heritage work in September and October last year. PTC from 1.30-6.50.

Friday: early out, yearbook signing.

If you haven’t signed up for PTC, the link is: https://www.trackitforward.com/site/mapa and click on the link for “event sign ups.”

Early outs mean that school finishes at 1 pm.

Thanks everyone!

John