Obama Montessori Family Connect

Email: obamamontessori@spps.org

Website: obamamontessori.spps.org
Location: Barack & Michelle Obama Montessori School, 707 Holly Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104
Phone: 651-293-8720

Instagram Handle: @obamamontessori.spps
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/19FxCyYyD2/?mibextid=wwXIfr

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Our school hours are 9:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday. Obama Montessori students will be welcomed into the school at 9:15 a.m. each day. Please do not drop your child at school prior to 9:15 a.m., as there is no adult supervision. We want your children to be safe. Classes start promptly at 9:30 a.m. and dismissal begins at 3:50 p.m.

Attendance is an important part of student success and begins with being on time to school each day. Missing less than nine days of school each year helps students to stay engaged, and experience success in their schoolwork.​ We recognize there are many reasons a student may be absent from school. If your student is ill, check SPPS’s illness guidelines at spps.org/studentwellness.

If your child will be absent from school, please either email our school email address, obamamontessori@spps.org or call the main office (651-293-8720). NEW! You can now report student absences in advance through the Absence Request tool in Infinite Campus Parent. Review this step-by-step guide and video for instructions.

Communication between home and school is vital to a positive school experience. More information about consistent attendance can be found at spps.org/attendance. We are excited to partner with you.

Children’s House (Pre-K and Kindergarten) Welcome Meetings will take place either on Tuesday, September 8th or Wednesday, September 9th. You will receive an email no later than August 24th with a link to select a time for your individual welcome conference on September 8th or 9th.

This year, our Family & Staff Organization (FSO) has graciously donated money for needed school supplies. Families do not need to purchase school supplies. Your child should plan to bring a backpack and tennis shoes for gym class. Please label these items with your child’s first initial and last name. This helps us return any lost items.

Over the summer, you should have received class placement information and welcome letters from your child’s teacher(s). If changes are made prior to the school year, you will receive communication from Lizzy regarding these changes. As noted in the placement letters, some changes may need to be made to balance classrooms after shifts over the summer.

If your child's end-of-day dismissal plan changes, please notify us using one of the following methods:

• Email: Send a message to obamamontessori@spps.org and CC your child's teacher.

• Phone: Call the main office directly (651-293-8720).

• Written Note: Send a signed note to school with your child in the morning to give to their teacher.

Important Reminders:

• All changes must be submitted no later than 3:00 p.m. to ensure the message reaches the classroom before dismissal.

• Students will not be allowed to change their dismissal plan without direct confirmation from a parent or guardian.

Through our partnership with Language Sprout, Obama Montessori provides optional Spanish language instruction for students. We believe financial constraints should not prevent a child from participating; if you need payment adjustments or financial support, please connect directly with Language Sprout to explore available options.

• Schedule: Monday/Wednesdays, 8:15 - 9:15 a.m
• Program Dates: September 23 2026 - May 26, 2027
• Cost: $1280

Obama Montessori plans to offer Extended Day for Learning (EDL) programming, pending available staffing.

• Days: Tuesdays & Thursdays

• Time: 7:30 – 9:15 a.m.

• Dates: October 20, 2026 – May 20, 2027

More details about specific EDL course offerings and registration will be sent to families in early October.

Families will receive an email at the end of August detailing your child’s assigned bus stop locations and schedules. Please note:

• Drop-off times are approximate and may be impacted by a variety of factors. Please arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes before the scheduled pickup time. Track your bus in real time using the Versatrans My Stop app.

• For safety reasons, students may only ride their assigned bus. We cannot accommodate requests to ride a different bus, even with parent permission.

Missing Information or Changes? If you do not receive your busing details or need to update your transportation plan, please contact us immediately:

• District Transportation Department: 651-696-9600

• Obama Montessori Main Office: 651-293-8720 | obamamontessori@spps.org

Bus Safety & Expectations

Please review bus safety rules with your child before the first day of school. Students are expected to stay seated in their assigned space, treat others with kindness, and cross the street safely. Obama Montessori strictly enforces district guidelines for bus conduct, and unacceptable behavior may result in a suspension from bus privileges.

Parents dropping off students should do so in the drop off lane behind the school. Please see the map below and follow staff instructions. Once they have exited the car, please wait until the car in front of you moves and do not pass other cars in the line. We want to make sure all our students make it into the building safely. If you plan on walking your child to the building, please park on the street. All family members entering the building will need to sign-in in the Main Office and wear a guest badge.

A pillar of Montessori education is supporting student independence. After the first week of school, please begin to drop off your child at the school door instead of walking them to their classroom. Students learn to transition to school more quickly when family members say their goodbyes outside of the building.

Each student who is picked up by a family member will receive a number at open house night or during the first week of school. Students will congregate inside of the building to wait with members of our staff before being called out when their family members arrive. Please reference our map for pick-up instructions.

• If driving, families should place their number in their dashboard and then pull all the way into the parking lot. Having this number displayed for our staff to see significantly speeds up the process!

• If walking, families will line up in the garden area, share their number with a school representative and their child will be called to come outside.

Elementary school students who live less than a half-mile from school may walk from home to school. If your student(s) will be walking to school, please communicate this to your student’s teacher and our main office. If needed, we will assign a staff member to cross students at busy intersections.

In-person students may receive one breakfast and one lunch for free each school day under the Minnesota Free School Meals program. As students arrive at school, they can grab their breakfast and eat in class. Hot and cold breakfast options are available.

To qualify as a free school meal, students must take a complete meal, including a fruit or vegetable. If a student does not take a complete meal, their meal account will be charged for the items individually.

• Student Second Breakfast: $3.50

• Student Second Lunch: $5.75

• Milk Only: $0.50

• For a complete list of prices, visit spps.org/ns.

While all in-person students will receive free breakfast and lunch under Minnesota’s Free School Meals program, it remains critical that all families complete an Application for Educational Benefits each school year. These applications determine how much funding your child’s school receives for educational programs and supports. Additionally, eligible families can qualify for other benefits, including SUN Bucks (formerly known as Summer EBT Benefits) and 50% off Amazon Prime membership. The application can be completed online at schoolcafe.com/spps. Paper applications are available at school.

Visitors are encouraged to keep classroom visits short in order to not distract students during academic instruction time.

We ask that you do not visit during arrival or dismissal times (9:15-10:00 a.m. and 3:30-4:00 p.m.) as these are times when students and staff are moving around the building.

When visiting a classroom, please consider the following guidance:

• The Montessori classroom is designed to give students the freedom to move about, the freedom to choose materials, and the freedom to use the materials for as long as needed. You may notice some differences in the way in which our classrooms function. Most classrooms have no desks, so the students choose whether to work at a table or on a floor mat.

• During a Montessori work time, students are presented with lessons and work on materials they have had a lesson on already. One of the goals of a Montessori classroom is to help the students build their power of concentration. Thus, visitors are encouraged to sit in an observation chair and to interact as little as possible with the students while visiting.

If you are volunteering at school, or attending field trips, you must have a current background check on file. Please email obamamontessori@spps.org to initiate your background check.

The school nurse or health assistant will reach out to families of students with known health concerns prior to school beginning. If your child is new to Obama Montessori you can connect with our health office by calling 651-888-7639.

In case of illness or injury during the school day, the school nurse will care for your child temporarily. If emergency medical treatment is necessary, a guardian will be contacted. If no guardians are available, the child will be taken to the emergency room of the nearest hospital, if necessary. It is extremely important for us to have accurate emergency phone numbers for your child throughout the school year!

Please pick up children who have been determined ill within a reasonable amount of time or make arrangements with others to help. We cannot accommodate ill students for any length of time.

Please check in with your healthcare provider to ensure your child’s immunizations are current before school starts in the fall. Visit spps.org/studentwellness or call our school nurse for more information.

SPPS strives to create welcoming schools where each and every student is seen, known and valued. There are rights students are guaranteed when they are at school as well as responsibilities that accompany those rights. Families are strongly encouraged to review the Rights & Responsibilities Handbook.

SPPS has a responsibility to identify and evaluate any student who may have a disability and need services and/or accommodations to access their education. If you believe your child may have a disability that is eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504, please contact your child's teacher, school counselor or school nurse.

To help students stay focused on learning, we ask that all toys and personal items stay at home unless a teacher has specifically requested them for class. “Toys” can include things like cards, games, nail polish, make-up, stuffed animals, or anything else that might be distracting during the school day.

Bikes, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, and sleds are not allowed to be used during the school day unless a teacher assigns them for a specific activity. Students who ride bikes to school should keep them at the bike racks during school hours. Hard baseballs, bats, and similar sports equipment may not be used during the school day. Please note that the school cannot take responsibility for items that are lost, stolen, or damaged unless a staff member has agreed to hold them for safekeeping.

If a student brings a toy or personal item to school:

1. The teacher will hold onto it until the end of the day and remind the student of the expectation.

2. If this happens again, the item will be kept until a parent/guardian is notified, and the student will be reminded of the expectation again.

The FSO raises tens of thousands of dollars a year to buy school supplies, fund field trips, host school events, and more! Join the FSO newsletter to get updates about volunteer opportunities, community events, and other ways to support Obama Montessori students and staff.