The children are so excited to spend a bit more time outside. Respect for our outdoor environment is very important to our Montessori Philosophy. Through the experiences of recycling, composting, preparing beds, planting seeds, planting and nurturing flowers and vegetables, picking up garbage and sweeping our path areas the children develop a sense of responsibility for our outdoor world. They notice if someone doesn’t put a dump truck away, or if something is outside that belongs inside. Please encourage this at home by reminding the children that we want to respect and care for our outdoor world. It isn’t just about putting toys away. It more important than that! Take a garbage bag with you when you take walks. Your child will love to wear a pair of gloves and fill the bag using a tongs for safety.

Enjoy this budding, exciting time. You will find that along with this budding season comes the blossoming of new skills for the children. They show great pride in their work and in the social skills they have developed with their friends. The children love to welcome the many visitors we have coming to our classrooms at this time of the year. The pride they feel and the confidence they demonstrate become part of their secure self image. Enjoy your children and the lovely weekend.

Randi

PS. Luna is still biting Comet’s bottom!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

WHAT’S NEW?

PLANT SALE & PLANT GIFT CERTIFICATES
Gift Certificates that were ordered last week came home in the Thursday folders. Please remember that you can still order gift certificates from the Holasek Greenhouse if you haven’t already. There are 2 more due dates that you can turn your Gift Certificate Orders in on: April 5th & April 15th .

The Gregor Farm :
Order form is due to the JMS office by Monday, April 5th. Plants will be available for pick-up on May 6th, just in time for Mother’s Day gifts on May 9th!

Thanks to the families who turned in their gift certificate orders for the first due date! Please make all checks payable to JMS. Please contact the JMS office if you need additional copies of the order forms. Celebrate spring and help JMS meet their budget by submitting a certificate and flower order.

JMS ANNUAL MEETING
Re-Enrollment Confirmation letters were sent home a couple of weeks ago. These forms are for families of all non-kindergarteners. Please fill it out and return it to the JMS Office by February 25, 2010. Enrollment is filling quickly and we need to know how many openings we have. Please contact Randi if you have any questions.

 Members will vote in a new Board of Directors. While we have some directors running for another term, we will be searching for at least three new parents to be on our board.

 Members will participate in the business meeting of the corporation

 Members will receive a report on the progress of the goals set by the board of directors this year.

 Members will here a financial review of the 09-10 school year and take a look into the future

 You will be given the opportunity to give feedback on what you like about JMS and what you think needs improvement in the future.

Please mark this important date on your calendar! JMS must have 30% of our population in attendance to hold the Annual Meeting. The meeting will be one hour long and childcare will be provided.

NEW FAMILY OPEN HOUSE WEEKS : March 22-25 and April 12-16:
Please let your friends and acquaintances know that we are holding two Open House weeks during the mornings from 9:30 – 11:00 am. Interested families may come to the school and observe while their child has a visit in the classroom. Recommending the school to a friend is the most successful method of bringing new children to the school. Please help us by placing a postcard at work, your favorite coffee shop or passing it on to a friend.

SUMMER PROGRAM
The Summer program information is out and the deadline for registration is Monday, April 5th!!! The Mystery Week #10 is confirmed to be “OOEY GOOEY SCIENCE” taught by Wendy Tokarz from Casa II. Please don’t wait until April 5th to turn in your registration. We need to plan for staffing and can’t run the program without enough children. Please get the forms in ASAP. Thanks!

NITTY GRITTY DETAILS

BOOK CLUB
The next book club’s next meeting is Thursday, March 11th from 7:00 – 8:00 pm. Childcare is available. The chapters that will be covered are 10 &11. If you are unable to be part of the book club check out Teresa’s Blog which gives an overview of each session. Click on:

 Teresa's Blog  Montessoriandt.blogspot.com

Randi’s Corner - New Baby Finally Named

Thanks to everyone who sent names my way last week. We finally started calling her “Bella” but my husband and I call her Luna at times. Bella Luna means beautiful moon. It works especially well when we she goes into her crate, now referred to as the “Luna Bin”. She is still biting Comet’s behind and ears but has many periods of gentleness as well. He won’t give her a second chance yet though. I was told dogs didn’t hold a grudge but I think mine does. I’ll keep you posted……in case you don’t have enough antics of your own!

See you all Saturday! The children are soooooooooooooooooooo excited and so is the staff and the committee who planned this fabulous event.

See you!

Randi

News and Reminders

News and Reminders   [view all] 

February 18, 2010

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

WHAT’S NEW?

Celebrate the Chinese New Year!
If you haven’t RSVP’d for the Family Fun Fest you can still do that today. We have most families attending and it is going to be so much fun! Try to come at 3:00 and stay for the whole event as there is a Traditional Lion Dance being performed by the School of Shaolin Kung Fu at 6:00 pm. We forgot to advertise that we also have a balloon artist and face painter as well!! Be sure to visit the Silent Auction as there are some very special surprises created by the children you can bid on. We will accept cash, checks, Visa, Master Card and Discover the day of the event for your Silent Auction purchases. Thanks to everyone for showing so much support for our school!

PARENT EDUCATION :
Please join us for an inspiring presentation from Dr. Steven Hughes on Thursday, March 4th at 7:00 pm. at the school. Dr. Hughes is the Director of Education and Research for the TOVA Company and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Hughes has studied how the brain learns and functions and shares with participants why he believes Montessori Education is the best possible method of education for our society.He has become a national and international presenter on this subject. Please feel free to invite friends to this event! You won't want to miss it! Childcare will be available but you must RSVP by Friday, February 26th.

Visit Steven Hughes web site at: Good at doing things

FALL 2010-2011 RE-ENROLLMENT :
Re-Enrollment Confirmation letters were sent home a couple of weeks ago. These forms are for families of all non-kindergarteners. Please fill it out and return it to the JMS Office by February 25, 2010. Enrollment is filling quickly and we need to know how many openings we have. Please contact Randi if you have any questions.

SIBLING APPLICATIONS:
Please turn in an application for younger siblings by February 25th for your child to receive sibling preference. Please contact the JMS office for an application.

ILLNESS UPDATE:
Please check your children each day as we have had cases of strep, pneumonia, and the stomach flu. Please make sure children are at least 90% before sending them back, in order to stop the spread.

NITTY GRITTY DETAILS

BOOK CLUB
The next book club’s next meeting is Thursday, March 11th from 7:00 – 8:00 pm. Childcare is available. The chapters that will be covered are 10 &11. If you are unable to be part of the book club check out Teresa’s Blog which gives an overview of each session. Click on:

 Teresa's Blog  Montessoriandt.blogspot.com

Randi’s Corner - New Baby Finally Named

Thanks to everyone who sent names my way last week. We finally started calling her “Bella” but my husband and I call her Luna at times. Bella Luna means beautiful moon. It works especially well when we she goes into her crate, now referred to as the “Luna Bin”. She is still biting Comet’s behind and ears but has many periods of gentleness as well. He won’t give her a second chance yet though. I was told dogs didn’t hold a grudge but I think mine does. I’ll keep you posted……in case you don’t have enough antics of your own!

See you all Saturday! The children are soooooooooooooooooooo excited and so is the staff and the committee who planned this fabulous event.

See you!

Randi

February 4, 2010

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

WHAT’S NEW?

Celebrate the Chinese New Year!
Join us on Saturday, February 20th from 3:00 - 7:00 pm for food, games, crafts, KIDSDANCE and other child-friendly activities as we celebrate the Year of the Tiger! Prices are $10.00 per person, not to exceed $45.00 per family (children under age 2 are free)ALL EVENTS AND FOOD INCLUDED! All proceeds and a silent auction will benefit Jonathan Montessori House of Children.Look for reservation forms that came home today!

JMS FAMILY NIGHT:
Tonight, JMS is hosting Family Night from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. It’s a very special opportunity for the children to become your guide and give you presentations on many of the activities they do at school. Please make arrangements to be here that evening and give your child(ren) your undivided attention! We have found that all of the families do not comfortably fit into the classrooms at once so we have designated times according to your last name. Casas I & II- Last Names beginning with A-H 6:30-7:15 & I-Z 7:15-8:00 Casa III - Last Names beginning A-L 6:30-7:15 & M-Z 7:15-8:00 If your designated time doesn’t work for you, please just come in the other time slot. If you are unavailable tonight, please feel free to invite a relative or friend to accompany your child. Hope to see you all tonight!!

FAMILY FUN FEST:
Invitations/registration forms are coming home in the colored folders today! Our wonderful Chinese New Year dinner will be catered by the Ming Wok Restaurant of Excelsior. Check out our Website next week to see the awesome list of Silent Auction Items we have so far. I already know what I’m going after, so in the tradition of silent auctions, “Let the Games Begin”! There will be 12 different activities for children in the tradition of Chinese New Year in addition to a traditional “Lion Dance” Presentation Thanks so much to those families that have sponsored certain aspects of the event to defray our costs. Please send in your registration early so we know how much food to order. Bring all your friends and their kids as its going to be so much fun!

WLS ENROLLMENT – INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS:
If you have a child going into first grade next year and are interested in finding out about The World Learner School, now is the time! The next Informational Meeting will be on Feb. 15th, at 7:00 pm, at the school. These meetings are for new families interested in enrolling their children at WLS. For more information contact Shireen at 952-368-7398.

NITTY GRITTY DETAILS

BOOK CLUB
The next book club’s next meeting Thursday February 11th from 7:00 – 8:00 pm. The chapters that will be covered are 7, 8 & 9. Please let us know if you need childcare by Wednesday. If you are unable to be part of the book club check out Teresa’s Blog which gives an overview of each session. Click on:

 Teresa's Blog  Montessoriandt.blogspot.com

Randi’s Corner

Tomorrow there is no school for students but the staff members of JMS will be at school and will be working very hard. What do we do when the children aren’t around? .

First, we meet as a whole staff. Even when we have twice monthly staff meetings, some members can’t be included as we have children here quite early in the mornings that require staff members be with them. So, being all together is really important these few times of the year we are closed. We plan to begin our focus on something philosophical, and discussions that can help us determine how we are progressing on the goals we all have set at the beginning of the year.

Each staff member must challenge herself to learn something new or focus on an area of their development that has been challenging for them. This is no easy task when you have 20 – 25 children to guide everyday and parents to keep in touch with and fundraisers to think about etc. I haven’t even mentioned their personal lives, which we believe must be a priority.

The work of tomorrow is so important because it can bring the adults back down to Earth. It can help us to focus on what our philosophy tells us about what we may be experiencing or feeling. It is a time for us to support one another in the arduous task of guiding your wonderful children and to remind one another how lucky we are to have this wonderful life we call “Montessori” to wholly dedicate ourselves to.

So thank you for supporting us while we take a day to refresh and to coordinate with one another what we need in order to do the best work we know how to do here at JMS.

See you all tonight!

Randi

January28, 2010

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

WHAT’S NEW?

Celebrate the Chinese New Year!
Join us on Saturday, February 20th from 3:00 - 7:00 pm for food, games, crafts, KIDSDANCE and other child-friendly activities as we celebrate the Year of the Tiger! Prices are $10.00 per person, not to exceed $45.00 per family (children under age 2 are free)ALL EVENTS AND FOOD INCLUDED! All proceeds and a silent auction will benefit Jonathan Montessori House of Children.Look for reservation forms that came home today!

JMS FAMILY NIGHT:
Tonight, JMS is hosting Family Night from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. It’s a very special opportunity for the children to become your guide and give you presentations on many of the activities they do at school. Please make arrangements to be here that evening and give your child(ren) your undivided attention! We have found that all of the families do not comfortably fit into the classrooms at once so we have designated times according to your last name. Casas I & II- Last Names beginning with A-H 6:30-7:15 & I-Z 7:15-8:00 Casa III - Last Names beginning A-L 6:30-7:15 & M-Z 7:15-8:00 If your designated time doesn’t work for you, please just come in the other time slot. If you are unavailable tonight, please feel free to invite a relative or friend to accompany your child. Hope to see you all tonight!!

FAMILY FUN FEST:
Invitations/registration forms are coming home in the colored folders today! Our wonderful Chinese New Year dinner will be catered by the Ming Wok Restaurant of Excelsior. Check out our Website next week to see the awesome list of Silent Auction Items we have so far. I already know what I’m going after, so in the tradition of silent auctions, “Let the Games Begin”! There will be 12 different activities for children in the tradition of Chinese New Year in addition to a traditional “Lion Dance” Presentation Thanks so much to those families that have sponsored certain aspects of the event to defray our costs. Please send in your registration early so we know how much food to order. Bring all your friends and their kids as its going to be so much fun!

WLS ENROLLMENT – INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS:
If you have a child going into first grade next year and are interested in finding out about The World Learner School, now is the time! The next Informational Meeting will be on Feb. 15th, at 7:00 pm, at the school. These meetings are for new families interested in enrolling their children at WLS. For more information contact Shireen at 952-368-7398.

NITTY GRITTY DETAILS

BOOK CLUB
The next book club’s next meeting Thursday February 11th from 7:00 – 8:00 pm. The chapters that will be covered are 7, 8 & 9. Please let us know if you need childcare by Wednesday. If you are unable to be part of the book club check out Teresa’s Blog which gives an overview of each session. Click on:

 Teresa's Blog  Montessoriandt.blogspot.com

Randi’s Corner

Tomorrow there is no school for students but the staff members of JMS will be at school and will be working very hard. What do we do when the children aren’t around? .

First, we meet as a whole staff. Even when we have twice monthly staff meetings, some members can’t be included as we have children here quite early in the mornings that require staff members be with them. So, being all together is really important these few times of the year we are closed. We plan to begin our focus on something philosophical, and discussions that can help us determine how we are progressing on the goals we all have set at the beginning of the year.

Each staff member must challenge herself to learn something new or focus on an area of their development that has been challenging for them. This is no easy task when you have 20 – 25 children to guide everyday and parents to keep in touch with and fundraisers to think about etc. I haven’t even mentioned their personal lives, which we believe must be a priority.

The work of tomorrow is so important because it can bring the adults back down to Earth. It can help us to focus on what our philosophy tells us about what we may be experiencing or feeling. It is a time for us to support one another in the arduous task of guiding your wonderful children and to remind one another how lucky we are to have this wonderful life we call “Montessori” to wholly dedicate ourselves to.

So thank you for supporting us while we take a day to refresh and to coordinate with one another what we need in order to do the best work we know how to do here at JMS.

See you all tonight!

Randi

November 5, 2009

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

WHAT’S NEW?

Picture Re-Takes:
Will be held on Wednesday, November 11th in the morning. If you were not satisfied with your child’s original picture or for students who were absent on the original picture day, you may have a picture taken on November 11th. The original picture MUST be returned to school no later than that morning to have a picture retaken. New forms will be available at the bottom of the JMS stairs and in the JMS office for those who have not yet had a picture taken.

Volunteers Needed on Friday:
I’m looking for one or two parents to help me prepare the small flower bed outside the lower level door for planting bulbs. It is filled with heavy clay and will need amending. Then the children will be able to plant the bulbs. Call Randi if you can help!

Sally Foster Pick-up November 12th:
Sally Foster Gift Wrap and Cookie Dough will be ready to pick up at the noon, 3:00 and all other arrival times. Please be patient that day with the pick up procedure as we will plan to bring out your order when you pick up your child. All orders must be picked up on the 12th as we have no room to store them and the dough must be refrigerated.

Fundraising Event Planning Nov. 16:
A fundraising event planning meeting will be held for those interested at 4:30 pm at the school. Please see the details in Randi’s Corner of the newsletter. We need your help to make this year’s events the best we’ve ever had!

Substitute Training:
JMS needs substitutes in the classrooms and in our office. This is a fun, paid position for parents who have some additional time to share with the school. Training will be held for those who are interested. Substitutes will always be under the guidance of the classroom lead person that day and/or an administrator if working in the office. Please contact Randi if you are interested.

Poinsettia’s Available Through WLS:
The World Learner School is selling Poinsettia’s from Holaseks Greenhouse and JMS families are invited to purchase plants if they desire. Mine is still alive from last year! An order form is attached for interested parents. Proceeds will benefit The World Learner Middle School Odyssey trip in the spring.

Parent Education DVD:
A DVD of the October Parent Education Power Point “Top 10 Montessori Attributes” is now available in the JMS office to check out. Special thanks to Alicia Williams for making that possible! The DVD is currently available. If it is already out at the time of your request we can put your name on a waiting list and will notify you when it is available. We appreciate those borrowing the DVD returning it at their earliest convenience so others may benefit.

NITTY GRITTY DETAILS

COOPER’S COUNTY MARKET FOOD DRIVE:
JMS is participating in the Cooper’s County Market “Stuff-A-Truck” from October 26 – November 13, a collection of food and household items for the Chaska Food Shelf. Items they especially need are canned soups, canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned meats, canned pork & beans, pastas and sauces, juices, peanut butter, jelly, breakfast cereals (hot or cold), and bathroom and personal hygiene items. Collection bins are located at the top of the stairs in the hallway and at the bottom of the JMS stairs to put your non-perishable food or household items in. Please involve your child(ren) in this process. They love to help others! Right now the box downstairs is EMPTY!!!

Parent Observations and Conferences:
Conferences are almost completed and we hope you had a wonderful experience observing and meeting with your child’s teacher. If you have not had a chance to observe yet or still need a conference slot, please contact the school immediately so we can find a time that works for your family. Please remember to return your conference evaluation form to the office.

Influenza Informational Update:
We do have a few cases of H1N1 flu in the school. Please remember we need all parents to notify the JMS office if their child will not be in attendance that day. Children with H1N1 symptoms (fever, soar throat, cough) must remain out of school for 5 days. That is the best way to keep the illness from spreading and is a requirement of the Health Department for this age group. For other illnesses please remember a child’s temperature must be normal for 24 hours prior to their returning to school. Please call the office if you have any questions.

BOOK CLUB:
The book club began in October and the group is reading “Positive Parenting”. The book provides for wonderful discussion topics! The next meeting is on November 12th from 7:00-8:00 pm. The group will be covering chapters 2 & 3. Please contact Teresa Ripple via e-mail at tripple@jonathanmontessori.com if you have any questions. Some parents who were unable to join the club are still enjoying reading the book. We have a few extra copies so if you are interested contact the office.

Randi’s Corner

I feel like Gretel from The Sound of Music. “Why am I always last?” I’ll start offering chocolate to those who have read this far.

Hello Friends,

New Accounting Firm

As part of JMS’s effort to improve it’s systems we have hired a new accounting firm to help us continue offering the personalized service we became accustomed to while Diane Crannell was doing our finances. The Firm is called Fiscal Foundations and we have begun the transition this week. We are hoping to streamline our accounting work and further develop systems on site that will help us generate more detailed reports and continue our personalized service. You may see Robin Schnaidt here a few times per month in the afternoons at Allison’s desk. Diane Crannell will still be helping out during the transition, (we keep finding reasons to keep her involved) but her puppy filled life is keeping her very busy as well. I never thought I could get this excited about finances but I am!

Parent Involvement

Soon parents will be contacted to begin participating in various events and tasks around the school that were designated choices on their volunteer forms this year. At our board meeting in October the Board of Director’s agreed to begin the planning for a new Major Fundraising Event for the year. In past years we have participated jointly in the Annual Shindig event with The World Learner School. This year we are looking for something that is better geared to the age groups we serve.

Our goals for this new event are;

   1. To have every family involved, including children

   2. To offer a viable community event which gives exposure to the school

   3. To contribute to our annual fundraising goal for the year which is at least $5000.00

We are very excited to create a new event that will be fun for families with young children to attend. If you have some good ideas, please bring them to the Event Planning Meeting on Monday November 16th at 4:30 pm.

Are you still there?

Let me know and the chocolate is yours!.

Happy Weekend!!

Randi