Thank you for choosing May Sands Montessori School as your student’s education provider. We are celebrating the 20th year of our incorporation, and our 19th year of operation as a component of the Monroe County School District, which enables us to offer tuition-free Montessori programming to students in Kindergarten through eighth grade.
I post an electronic school-wide newsletter, weekly via email and on our website, to keep everyone updated with important information – thanks for taking time to stay informed. Today’s newsletter is a bit longer, as there is a lot of information at the start of the new year. Be sure to check out our website any time you need to refer to school information: www.MaySandsMontessori.com.
For families who are new to our school or Montessori education, I’m pleased to share resources on our school’s website; be sure to check out the ‘All Things Montessori’ page, as well as the short video on the ‘About our School’ page. I also recommend the following podcast featuring Dr. Angeline Lillard, who is an expert in the Montessori community: http://www.parentsjournal.com/podcast/198/AngelineSLillard.mp3
Our first full day of school begins tomorrow; all students will be expected to attend school from 8:30-3:30. Please be sure your student brings a reusable water bottle, daily, to school. As for lunch, students have three options:
- Students may bring their own lunch in an insulated container, labeled with their name. We do not have the ability to heat lunches – meals should be ready to eat, with any necessary utensils and a reusable napkin.
- Students may participate in the school breakfast and lunch program by ordering lunch upon arrival in the morning. Families will find information on pricing and payment in the Back to School pack, which will be sent home today. This is the school lunch menu:
Wraps – turkey, ham, or chicken
Sandwiches – turkey, ham, chicken, or Peanut butter & jelly (includes a cheese stick)
Chef Salads – turkey, ham or chicken
Yogurt meal – 4 oz. yogurt, hardboiled egg, muffin
In addition, each meal will have:
8 oz of milk – chocolate or regular (please specify)
4 oz of juice
½ cup fruit
1 cup of cold vegetables
This is the link to register for school breakfast and lunch: https://frapps.horizonsolana.com/welcome
- Students may order lunch at our neighbor, the MARC Rainbow Café before arriving to school. Payment is made directly to the Rainbow Café upon ordering, and their menu changes weekly. The Rainbow Café will deliver pre-purchased lunches to the school, but please indicate whether your child is in first (Primary, Lower Elementary) or second (Upper Elementary, Early Secondary) seating for lunch.
Arrival & Dismissal Procedures
We are fortunate to have a crossing guard – Mrs. Martha Fitch, who facilitates safety during arrival and dismissal times. Families are asked to assist in our arrival and dismissal procedures by maintaining a steady flow in the car line. Parking is not permitted the car line; if you need to park and walk your student in, please find a spot outside the car line to do so.
Our school day begins at 8:30 and ends at 3:30. There is limited supervision available beginning at 7:45. For safety purposes, students are not permitted on campus before 7:45. The classrooms open at 8:15; students arriving between 7:45 and 8:15 must wait at the Student Arrival Area. Our school family gathers together each Friday morning at 8:30 for Flag Raising. This is a time for sharing of school-wide events. All students must be on campus by 8:25, as we must begin our day on time.
Students are dismissed @ 3:30. If your child is not yet at the dismissal area when you arrive to the front of the car line, please drive around the block to return to the cue, or find an available space to park & walk up to the dismissal area. For those families who prefer to walk up to retrieve their child, please check in with the May Sands Montessori employee supervising the gate area before leaving.
The dismissal procedure ends @ 3:45 so that our staff may be able to close out the day on time. Students who are not picked up by 3:45 will be sent to Extended Care, where charges will apply.
Contact Information and Student Release
It is a school policy that children will be released only to their parent/guardian or authorized persons listed on the dismissal record. Please keep this record up to date, including carpool arrangements. Special dismissal arrangements require advance notice in the form of a note or phone call; last-minute arrangements for play dates are not permitted.
Student Independent Travel
Students who bike, blade or board to school are required by law to wear a helmet; thank you for ensuring your child complies with this rule.
If your child will travel to and from school without adult supervision, you will need to complete the Independent Student Travel release form (available online and from our school office).
Extended Day – After Care
May Sands Montessori School offers extended child care, after the school day until 5:30, to currently enrolled students. Payment is due at the time of registration. The cost for our After School Program is $12 per day for students who are pre-paid. Students who are pre-paid for the entire week are offered a discounted rate of $50 per week. A “drop-in” rate of $15/day will apply for students who are not pre-paid and will be due at the time of pick-up. A sibling discount is offered at a rate of $5 per additional sibling.
Program Level Meetings
The lower Elementary program will host a ‘Back to School Drop-In’ from 4:00-5:30 this Thursday (8/17), so that families can become acquainted with their student’s Guide and Classroom Assistant.
The Upper Elementary program will host an informative meeting beginning at 5:30 next Wednesday (8/23), regarding their end of year trip.
Solar Eclipse 2017
Next Monday afternoon (8/21), students and staff will be able to view the solar eclipse, whose effects will appear most significant just before 3:00. The school has purchased special, certified solar viewer glasses for all students and members of staff, and classroom-level discussions of safety are expected to begin this week. Families who do not wish to have their student participate in the event are welcome to pick up their student before 1:30. Our instructional staff will have information to share about this very special event, but the following links offer a little more information to spark conversations at home:
https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/iso-certification – this is information on the certification standard used to ensure safety, when purchasing solar viewer glasses.
https://eclipse.aas.org/ – this site offers comprehensive information about the upcoming eclipse as well as the phenomenon, in general.
https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/future/ – this is a link to a graphic image that positions the current and future eclipse paths. Take special note of the eclipse in 2045!
All School Meeting Next Wednesday
Our first School Community meeting will take place Wednesday, August 23 at 6:00 in the Blue Tang Classroom. All-school meetings are scheduled three times a year for families to learn about the progress and developments of our children’s school. May Sands Montessori families are required to attend at least two of the three meetings per school year. All school meetings (and other important event dates) are listed on our school’s ‘Calendar of Events’ page on our website: www.MaySandsMontessori.com.
