Montessori Minute

February 24 - Kid's Heart Challenge Assembly - 2:30 PM

Feb. 24-27 - Draco continues Learn to Swim at Dimond Park

Feb. 23-27 - 6th graders shadowing in AMP

March 13 - AMP Coffee House

March 17 - "Necessary Nonsense" play in Commons

March 17 - Ancestor/Heritage Project Parent Orientation - 5:30 PM

March 18 - Battle of the Books (K-2)

March 23-27 - SPRING BREAK

As part of our district’s ongoing commitment to campus safety, we want families to be aware of something we have been using now for a few weeks called Verkada Guest. This system provides a streamlined way for visitors to check in when entering our school, helping us better monitor who is in our building and enhance security across all district sites.

This is not an "option" for visitors - it's a mandate by the district and something we are committed to using to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Our office staff are not the "decision makers" when it comes to this system, so please save any complaints and comments for me (although - I'm not the decision-maker either). john.paul@juneauschools.org is my email address - and I can pass your thoughts along to others for you.

Thank you for understanding that student and staff safety are paramount and - regardless of how many times you've entered our buildings - all visitors will continued to have to show ID and sign in using the Verkada system.

The restroom policy will not change for next year.

• YD students will use the restrooms downstairs
• JCCS will use whatever restrooms they prefer
• AMP will use whatever restrooms they prefer

HOWEVER, we WILL allow Montessori families to choose to allow their children to use the restroom closest to their learning environment. In other words - we may have parents/families tell us "I don't care where my kiddo goes" - and we will honor their wish.

The downstairs restrooms - to be clear - allow all students to use the restroom with which they identify. That needs to be part of your decision-making.

Please report any restroom "issues" that you observe to the front office immediately, and encourage students to report any issues to the Montessori office immediately as well.

Thank you!

Please click here for a quick survey on whether or not you plan to have your child(ren) come back to Montessori Borealis for the 2026-2027 school year! We must have an accurate count so we know how many spaces to open up for the Lottery - which will be run in April.

We are not anticipating - at this time - a change in our restroom policy. YD will continue to use the downstairs restrooms, Montessori Pre-K through 6th will use the upstairs restrooms, JCCS students will use the restrooms of their/(or parent) choice, and AMP will use the restrooms of their/(or parent) choice.

If a Montessori parent does not care which restroom their kiddo uses, then they will just let us know (we will send out a questionnaire right before school next year) and we will allow that preference as well.

Thank you!

John Paul

Request nights for the 2026-27 school year are coming next month.

This is the night your student will request courses for their next school year of 2026-2027.

Please mark your calendars for the upcoming course request nights. Our counseling staff will present grade-level information for your planning purposes and give you the opportunity to enter your student’s course requests for the next school year. Please note that all evenings start promptly at 5:00pm in the JDHS Commons.

The Course Description Catalog is available electronically on our

website at jdhs.juneauschools.org, under the Counseling tab Course Request Information

-Bring a charged person device such as a ChromeBook. -Bring a pen for notes and signatures.

• Rising Freshmen (current 8th): Last names A-K. February 24, Tuesday, 5:00pm

• Rising Freshmen (current 8th): Last names L-Z. February 26, Thursday, 5:00pm

Here are the dates for all Site Council Meetings this year.

The Zoom link is below!

February 24th In person

March 17th Zoom

April 21st In person

May 5th Zoom

Site Council Bylaws

Dear Families,

There is a beautiful tension at the heart of Montessori education. It hums quietly in the background of our work like the low string section of an orchestra.

• We are special because we are Montessori.
• And we are not special because we are a public school.

Both of those statements are true.

Dr. Maria Montessori did not design a method that would sit still in amber. She observed. She adjusted. She responded to children in front of her, in real time, in real communities. Montessori was never about isolation. It was about preparation for life in the world.

And we are very much in the world.

As a public Montessori program, we are part of a larger ecosystem. We collaborate. We align. We respond to district initiatives, state requirements, new research, evolving best practices, and the changing needs of families and society. That is not a dilution of Montessori. It is an expression of it.

Community over everything else.

• It is difficult to belong to a community if we quietly believe certain expectations do not apply to us.
• It is difficult to teach children to be lifelong learners if we model a version of adulthood that is fixed, defensive, or resistant to growth.

If we ask children to adapt, to reflect, to revise, to stretch, then we must be willing to do the same.

Thirty four years in public education has taught me many things. One of them is this: the moment I believe I have nothing left to learn is the moment I should hand over my keys and make space for someone who does. If you ever see me settling into certainty instead of curiosity, you have my permission to gently escort me out.

Montessori is not a shield from change. It is a framework that helps us navigate change thoughtfully.

• We are special because we hold tightly to principles that honor children.
• We are not special in the sense that we are exempt from growth, collaboration, accountability, or evolution.

We prepare children for a world that will not stand still.

So we cannot stand still either.

That is not a contradiction.

That is integrity.

And in all of this, I hope you hear my heart. None of us are navigating this alone. We are parents and teachers and children growing side by side, sometimes steady, sometimes wobbly, always learning. Community means we give one another grace, and it also means we lovingly hold one another to the high hopes we share for our children. If we keep listening, keep reflecting, and keep reaching together, there is no limit to how far this little constellation of ours can rise.

Many blessings,

John Paul

We have an upcoming spring break opportunity that may interest your K–3 students and their families.

During Spring Break (March 23–27), Raven Writes will host its first Spring Break Camp in Juneau.

Sealaska Heritage Institute, in partnership with SERRC, will offer hands-on learning experiences focused on storytelling, harvesting and preparing, and cultural learning.

Above is a digital flyer for families, and physical copies have been delivered to our office!

If you have any questions about the Spring Break Camp, please contact Terra Stark, SERRC Raven Writes Program Coordinator and Camp Director at terras@serrc.org or 907-433-7256.

For more information about SERRC’s Raven Writes Camps: https://serrc.org/raven-writes/

If you are one of our amazing volunteers that regularly come to the school or classroom - and have not already done so - PLEASE fill out the volunteer form through the district (listed below).

​Thank you so much for helping out - this just helps to keep everyone safe!

New families to Montessori Borealis should soon see an email invitation for Transparent Classroom to set up an account. You will need to do this to access lessons your children receive and to view your student's trimester reports. If you have any questions, please reach out to dustin.stogner@juneauschools.org.

Juneau School District

TMMS Middle School Athletic Schedule

25-26

Athletic Teams and Activities meet after school Monday through Thursday from 3:15 – 4:30 pm, during their season. Each season is typically 4 - 6 weeks in length. There will be Activity Buses available to take students home, leaving TMMS at 4:45 if they are out of walking distance. Please see the Falcon Flyer each Friday and the TMMS website for up-to-date information throughout the school year.

Wrestling – Boys and Girls

Season: January 5, 2026– February 20, 2026

Practice begins Jan 5th

Travel tbd-Sitka

Harbin Tournament tbd

Rifle – Boys and Girls

Season: Jan 5,2025- February 20,2026

Volleyball – Boys and Girls

Season: Feb 23- April 10, 2026

Season begins February 23

Travel tbd

Track and Field – Boys and Girls

April 13,2026- May 14,2026

Season begins April 13

Southeast Track meet invitational Thursday May 14th

Folks can check out the Falcon Flyer (daily bulletin) on Fridays for more information and can reach out to assistant principal Laura Zimmerman by email (laura.zimmerman@juneauschools.org) or by calling her at 907-780-1905.

We have a lot of walking field trips! Sometimes they're in good weather, but as often as not, there is something inclement when our kiddos are out and about.

It's important for kiddos to have:

• The right footwear (often they're wearing crocs or sandals or something that isn't "long walk or hike friendly")
• The right outer wear (water proof is important)
• Warm enough outer wear (and socks)!

It's awesome to be outside and be exploring! Let's make sure our kiddos are equipped for it! If you need anything - please let us know!

Thanks!

SEAFOM is a very generous organization (Southeast Alaska Friends of Montessori) that contributes mightily to our school! This year, they are evening funding one entire teaching position.

If every one of our families joined - it'd be about $2,000 that would go directly back to our students in some way, shape, or form! Please consider joining - just scan the QR code below!

Parents - please check with your students to make sure they empty their lockers on Friday - of all of the wet items or lunch things that need to be thrown away or returned home! These things get stinky really quickly! :D

Also, a reminder that if the kids find something that isn’t theirs, they should take it to the office (up or downstairs - either one). They can also tell their teacher - so that those items can get back to the rightful owner.

In other words - "Just because we find something doesn’t mean we get to keep it." LOL! :D

Thank you!

Next time you're in the building - please stop for a bit and take a gander at the growing lost and found rack/pile in the commons. It's growing! Thank you!

After school, it is very important that students are supervised at all times - for safety purposes. We have limited resources and we often make the mistake of thinking the building is clear when, in fact, some students are still here, waiting for rides.

Please, for the sake of student safety:

• Pick up kiddos by 3:15 (or 2:45 on early release Mondays)
• If you're going to be late - please call (907) 796-5800 and let Dustin or Beccah know
• If you're going to be late - please have kiddos wait with bus riders in the Commons

Thank you!

You'll need to log in using student lunch number@juneaustudents.org and the password is the student lunch number!

If you haven't already done so, you should definitely get the mobile app to keep our families and community better informed and connected to what’s going on in our schools. The Juneau Borough Schools mobile app is available for free on both iPhone and Android smartphones. From a smartphone, go to the iTunes App Store® or Google Play®, search Juneau Borough Schools.

The app will deliver real time district news to a smartphone for fast, up-to-date access. The app will feature the latest district and school info as well as push notifications about breaking news, closures, weather, events, and more. This app will work when (at times) our regular communication systems (phone or email) fail due to incorrect data (wrong emails or numbers in Power School).