We want to thank everyone who came and participated in Parent Teacher Conferences earlier this month.  It was wonderful meeting with all of you and discussing the progress your children have been making.  We have wonderful students and families in our class and it is a pleasure working with all of you!

Thank you, as well, to all of the parents who helped drive students to the Newsies field trip this week.  We had a great time!

Speaking of driving for field trips, we have our field trip to the Hogle Zoo this Wednesday!  Please let us know ASAP if you can help drive students on this trip.  We had a few parents sign up to help at conferences, but we could use a few more.  We will send out the Track it Forward sheet for you to sign your child up for a carpool tomorrow.

This past week was challenging.  All of us were a bit out of sorts with the tragic loss of Molly and Troy Cox, two members of our MMA family.  Petra and I did our best to support those students who were struggling and maintain a sense of normalcy for the students overall.  We did have several of the students in our class spend some time with the grief counselors that were available at the school on Wednesday.  We will continue to support the students and help them to process and understand their grief during this difficult time.

Our next home project will be due on November 15th.  This is the project about America that will be part of our school’s Cultural Festival.  We decided to leave this project pretty open-ended.  Students may choose to study anything about America that is of interest to them.  Please let me know if your child needs help narrowing down their ideas.  This project should be on a tri-fold board that can easily be displayed on a table top.  We will not be distributing specific questions that need to be answered, as we anticipate the topics being quite varied.  The display should be attractive and the topic well represented with information and pictures.  Students should be able to present information on their topic to parents, teachers, and students who will be walking around to see the different displays.

There are a couple things that our class will be working on that we’d love you to reinforce at home.  Some of our students are struggling to be kind to others.  We will be having some lessons to reinforce that our words and actions matter and that they affect those around us.  Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, even those people that we may not like.  Another thing that we will be working on is our noise level.  We have a chatty class this year and it can make learning and focusing difficult.  We will be practicing speaking with quieter voices and limiting our conversations during class time to things that pertain to our lessons and works.  Reminders at home go a long way toward helping the students make better choices at school.

Petra and I love your children and are grateful for the opportunity to work with them.  Please let us know if you have any concerns or questions!

Please sign up for a time to come in for Parent Teacher Conferences.  They will be held October 15-17th.  Please remember that school gets out at 1:00PM on these days.  Also, check out the book fair happening during conferences in the library.  If you haven’t signed up for an account on Track It Forward, you will need to do so in order to sign up for a conference appointment.  Let me know if you have any questions.

https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/events

Original Works order forms went home today.   Here is a Q & A from Ms. Rachael Bush, the coordinator of this fun fundraiser.  As a reminder, the money raised from this fundraiser goes directly to our classroom!

Original Works Q & A:

What is Original Works?

Turn your child’s art into keepsakes (mugs, tote bags, pot holders, pillowcases, keychains, night lights, etc.). This fundraiser benefits your child’s classroom directly.

What if my child didn’t do or complete their art?

Complete it now! Art needs to be on plain 8.5”x11” paper (cardstock is best for durability). No 3-D art (glitter, pipe cleaners, etc.) and no copyrighted art. Must be original! Whatever you turn in with your payment will be considered complete.

What if my child made more than one piece of art?

You need one order form per piece of art. The order form needs to be filled out and taped to the back of your child’s art.

What if I have a child who wants to participate and isn’t at MMA?

Anyone can submit art. All you need is an order form and to designate which teacher you want to benefit!

How do I pay?

Write a check made to Original Works and attach it to the order form or write your credit card number on order form.

When are orders due?

Art, order forms, and payment must be returned to the front office by October 17th.

What needs to be on the art?

Your child’s name, teacher’s name, and a T designating the top of art must be written on the back of each piece of art.

When will keepsakes arrive?

Friday, November 30th!

Questions?

Email rachael.bush@gmail.com ☺

You won’t want to miss this years Fall Festival! We have a lot of exciting surprises in store!  It is this Friday, October 12th from 4-7PM.

Purchase your tickets online at:
https://squareup.com/store/mapa-9

Any tickets/wristbands purchased online will be available for pickup at the “ticket drive-thru” or at the will call booth the night of the festival. Pre-sale prices are good now thru October 11th.

Ticket Drive Thru dates will be: October 8, 9, 10, & 11 in the north east corner of the North Shore parking lot from 2:45-3:30 pm or October 8 & 10 from 8-8:30 am

From our MAPA President:

Hi Parents,

Thank you so much to everyone who has already signed up to help at Fall Festival! October is a pretty busy month as far as MAPA and volunteering go so we need help from so many. If you haven’t had a chance to sign up yet there is still time. We need several more volunteers to keep all of the activities open. This year MAPA will be implementing the “no volunteer, no activity” moto again. This means that any time we have a volunteer need and no one has signed up that activity will be closed for the time slot.

Not only do we have Fall Festival this month we also have Parent Teacher Conference dinners and Book Fair October 15-17th.

Please, please follow the link and sign up where you are able. Please note there are multiple signups for all events on the calendar. If one is full please click on the next signup sheet. If you have any questions you can email MAPA at mapa@mariamontessoriacademy.org.

https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/events

Cheers,
Angela Voraotsady