Pleasant Valley Montessori School
Volume 4, Number 1, September 1, 2009 |
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Important Dates to Remember
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September 9, 2009 – School begins
October 1, 2009
- Photo Day
October 9, 2009 -
No School:
Statewide In-service Day
October 16, 2009 –
No School: Montessori In-service Day
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September Birthdays
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Cole Gallant*9/7
Gabby Hill**9/10
Annie Koenig*9/23
On your child’s birthday you may bring treats for the classroom. Homemade treats are fine however, we ask that you do not bring cupcakes or cookies with heavy frosting. We enjoy celebrating each child’s birthday and would love for you to bring in pictures of your child on their birthday. Please include a photo from their birth and one for each birthday they have had. Also, we ask that you do not leave invitations or thank you cards in cubbies or sign in book. Exceptions will be made if all students are invited. If you need an address list, please ask a staff member.
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Staff News
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Welcome back to returning staff Miss Diane, Miss Skylynn, Miss Cheryl, Miss Julie, and Miss Peggy.
Congratulations to Miss Cheryl who successfully completed her Montessori training this year and is now a certified AMS Teacher.
We would like to welcome new staff member Miss Rachel.
Rachel Jordan has worked in the dental field on and off for over 10 years. She has been married to Chedric since 2001 and they have 2 daughters, Nikkia and Kaiya. Rachel became a “Stay-at-home-mom” when Nikkia was born in 2004. Nikkia is starting her 3rd year at PVMS and Kaiya is starting her 1st year at PVMS. She has over 2 years experience volunteering with her church’s youth group and children’s church programs. Rachel is very excited to start her year with PVMS.
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 Welcome Back to School!
Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year! Welcome to our new students and Welcome Back to our returning students. We hope that everyone had a wonderful Summer. We are glad you have chosen PVMS for your child’s early education and we look forward to another successful academic year. Throughout the year there will be many opportunities taking place for the students. Please check the bulletin board daily for any new information. Also, be sure to read the newsletter available at the beginning of each month. The newsletter is a very useful tool for keeping you informed of what is taking place at PVMS. The newsletter is available via email and there will also be hard copies available at the school.
If you have not already done so, make sure we have your current email address in order to receive the E-newsletter. Each issue will feature a teacher’s corner, to let you know what the children will be doing in each classroom, and a “Dates to Remember” section, to highlight specific important dates for school closures and activities. |
 Parent Handbook Highlights
Every parent has been given a Parent Handbook. The handbook will answer many of the questions you may have in regards to your child’s education and what is expected at PVMS. Please make sure you read through the handbook carefully and feel free to ask any questions you may have. Some key information we would like to review is listed below:
“Self-discipline” is the objective we work for.
No toys are to be brought to the school.
Educational items are welcome on Sharing Days.
Make sure to sign your child in and out every day.
Have a “Pick up” card filled out if the person picking up your child is not on the authorization form.
Have anyone picking up your child be prepared to show ID. Make sure your child has been greeted or dismissed by a staff member. Make sure your child has extra clothing that fits in their cubby and that all clothing and shoes can be put on or taken off by the child without difficulty. Please label all clothing with your child’s initials. Keep weather appropriate clothing in cubby.
If your child is ill please keep them home, and inform the school of any communicable diseases. Any child who has had a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea is required to be free of symptoms for 24 hours before returning to school.
Visit www.cdc.gov for more information about current public health concerns and guidelines.
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 Class Room News
The theme for September is apples. As you look through the classrooms you will find that much of the work has to do with apples. We will also be doing apple art projects as well as cooking with apples this month.
Most of the first month of school is spent reviewing what the children already know and then taking off from there. Montessori learning is designed for individual growth and the children may all be at different stages of development at any given time.
The Kindergartners and First Graders will continue working on their reading and writing skills as well as developing their math skills with the more advanced Montessori Math materials.
The Primary and Pre-K children will have many fun new activities in the Practical Life area as well as the traditional Sensorial exercises and materials. Each day begins with “Circle Time” as the children gather together for group discussion. This is a valuable time for the children to learn to sit quietly and take turns talking.
This is an excellent time for verbal language development in both speaking and listening. We will also practice balance and large motor skills through action and songs. The calendar will be completed at this time, learning the days of the week, months and seasons, along with counting the number of days.
The classrooms are split into 5 sections; The Art shelf supplies the materials for the children to practice cutting, gluing, coloring and writing. The Practical Life area is where the care of self and care of environment activities are located. This is where the children will practice fine motor skills such as using a spoon to transfer an object, pouring dry objects or water from one container to another and other practical skills. In the Sensorial section, the children will use the knobbed cylinders and other objects of different shapes, sizes and textures. The materials in this area are designed for refining the senses. The Math area provides a lot of materials for learning to count, add, subtract, multiply and divide. Finally, in the Language section of the classroom provides the “Yellow boxes” which is our phonetic reading program. This area also has the materials for learning the letter sounds and the Movable Alphabet for writing and spelling.
The children will use chalkboards and white boards for practice writing letters and numbers.
Each month the class has a theme that will be seen throughout the classroom and new work is added in every area of the classroom related to the theme. We also spend a lot of time on cultural and science subjects such as geography and animal classification.
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 Lunch Time
Lunch time is a great opportunity for your child to learn “Grace and Courtesy” and our desire is to make this time easy and enjoyable for the children. This is also a time for your child to become more independent. You can help by making sure that all containers are easy for your child to open and close. It is important to let your child be a part of preparing their lunch each day. Also, please do not send sweets or “Gogurts” in you child’s lunch. See the Parent Handbook for lunch guidelines.
We ask that you provide two cloth napkins and appropriate eating utensils in your child’s lunch box.
We have a variety of cloth napkins available for purchase. Please look for them on display at the school or ask a staff member about them. They are handmade, child-sized and cost $8 for one set of two napkins. |
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Be sure to check out our new website at pleasantvalleymontessorischool.comLook for the current online survey – we value your input.
“Any child who is self-sufficient, who can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity, which is derived from a sense of independence.” Maria Montessori
Sincerely,
PVMS Staff
23225 SE Borges Rd.
Damascus, OR 97089
503-658-6966
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