Montessori Pre-K News

This week, we continued exploring the importance of Practical Life and how Montessori experiences help children build independence, confidence, concentration, and a sense of capability. Everyday activities such as food preparation and flower arranging give children meaningful opportunities to practice real skills while experiencing the joy of doing things for themselves.

A very important part of this process is respecting each child’s timing. When we give children the time and space to observe, investigate, make mistakes, and try again, we support their curiosity and perseverance. When we step in too quickly to help, we can unintentionally interrupt their concentration and take away the opportunity to solve a problem independently. Our goal is to support without taking over, allowing children to discover, “I can do it myself.”

A big thank you to our families for your wonderful contributions to our Practical Life SignUpGenius List! The food-preparation and flower-arranging supplies have brought so much meaningful work to our classroom.

We also had a busy and exciting week with our First Lower School Assembly on Monday, our first fire drill on Wednesday, and our first Spirit Day on Thursday. The children did a wonderful job participating in each experience!

We wish everyone a relaxing and joyful Labor Day break. There will be no class Friday or Monday, and we look forward to seeing everyone back on Tuesday!

With Gratitude,

The Montessori Team

This Monday, we celebrated Giada’s 5th birthday with our beautiful Montessori birthday ceremony. Giada walked around the candle representing the sun five times while carrying the globe, as we sang a special birthday song to her.

We then passed a special sachet filled with colorful rice grains and lavender around the circle. Each child shared a heartfelt wish for Giada. At the end of the ceremony, Giada took the sachet home with her as a beautiful keepsake, carrying with her all of her friends’ wonderful wishes.

It was such a sweet and meaningful celebration of five years of Giada’s life and the special person she is becoming!

All children will begin the day in Room 12. Please plan to arrive between 7:45–7:55 a.m. to allow your child time to settle in before the day begins. Check out the "Tips for Separation" link (below) with some helpful ideas for this process.

Morning prayer and instruction will begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. Any children who arrive late will need to be signed in and enter through door 5.

What to Expect

Drop Off: Enter through door 4 and bring your child to the entrance of the Montessori Hallway where you can say goodbye. A classroom adult (Miss Lannette, Miss Jesse, Miss Rachelle, or Miss Marla) will be there in the hallway to greet your child and supervise the cubby area before they enter the classroom.

If an adult needs to escort a child into the building, they will need to enter through Door #5 and check in at the front desk using our Raptor security system. For the safety of our students, no visitors or guests will be permitted into the building without a name tag and badge.

Pick Up: For children leaving at 2:45 p.m. you can park and wait just outside of door number 4. At 2:45 p.m. those children will be brought to the door 4 entry as a group for dismissal. Anyone picking up a child should have a photo identification with them. Extended day pick up will be at the extended day classroom space (room 13).

As a reminder, there is no school on Friday, September 4 and Monday, September 7 for Labor Day Break.

Extended Day will be open on Friday, September 4, and Kayla Christy is our Extended Day Coordinator. Families who need care on Friday are welcome to connect with Kayla for more information. Extended Day will be closed on Monday, September 7, in observance of the holiday.

We look forward to welcoming parents for Lower School Parent Night on Thursday, September 10, from 6:00–7:30 p.m. This is an adult-only event, so students will not attend. The evening will begin with a large-group presentation in DeSales at 6:00 p.m., followed by two classroom sessions from 6:40–7:00 p.m. and 7:10–7:30 p.m. A Parent Association sponsored social will follow the classroom sessions.

School Picture Day will be held on Friday, September 11. This will be a uniform-optional day, and Montessori students will have their pictures taken at 8:05 a.m.

• September 14-18

• All School Pep Rally, September 17th

• After School Family Event, September 17th

• Formal Uniform and Mass and Flag Raising, September 18th

Early Release Day, 12 pm. Lunch will be served. Extended Day available.