Spirit Shirts
The deadline for T-shirt orders is tomorrow 18 April, so that we can guarantee delivery before the Upper Elementary End of Year trip to Boston. Payment may be made in our school office by cash, check, or credit card. Parents: you may want to purchase T-shirts for yourself, too! The cost for shirts remains the same: $12/child xs- adult xl and $15/adult 2xl, 3xl.
Order forms are posted, here: https://maysandsmontessori.com/wp-content/uploads/MSMS-Spirit-Shirt-Order-Form.pdf.
Earth Day Celebration
We invite all families to join us this Friday (4/20) @ 8:30 for an Earth Day Celebration! We will gather at the courtyard for a quick Flag Raising and then we will walk to Bayview Park via the sidewalk on White Street (turning on Virginia after crossing the street), and meet at the pavilion.
Students are using their creative skills, using recycled and upcycled materials at school, to share their Earth-friendly messages during this event. With help from our Music teacher, Ms. Rachel our Primary, Lower, and Upper Elementary students have learned special Earth-loving songs (some have created their own lyrics!), and they will perform at the pavilion. Members of our city government will be in attendance, and we’ll have a special presentation by Ms. Gabriela’s mom, Susana Tapia Léon.
We’d like to see everyone wearing their May Sands Montessori Spirit Shirts, and closed-toe shoes are a must for off-campus outings. Please also remember to bring your water bottle, as we anticipate the event will last about an hour, with travel time.
Parents, if you’re planning to walk with us, please give yourself a little extra time in the morning to sign in at the front office and collect your lanyard; anyone choosing to meet at the park does not need to sign in, however. We will take a shorter route back to school from the event, down the sidewalk on Leon Street.
Open Application Period Ends
This Friday @ 11:59 a.m. is the application deadline for students who are seeking enrollment in SY2019. While siblings of currently enrolled students bypass the lottery, we are required to have a completed application for all prospective new students. Copies are available in the front office.
Kinetic Sculpture
The Papio Kinetic Parade takes place on 5 May and we will, again, have the artistic support of assemblage artist, Steve Linden. Mr. Steve will host a series of after-school workshops for parents, students, and staff to craft our school’s parade entry in the authentic style of Stanely Papio. Service hours will be awarded for parent support. Students participating without parent support will need to register for our Extended Day After School program. Our first workshop takes place next Monday (4/23) @ 4:00.
Parent Meeting
Next Friday, 4/27 @ 8:30, Mrs. Heather will host a meeting for families who were new to May Sands Montessori during SY2018. We are seeking constructive feedback to assist the school in welcoming the new families next year. Each family that attends will earn a service hour for their participation!
Support for Ms. Grace
I received the sad and unexpected news that our cleaning lady, Grace Jarzecka, passed away late Saturday night from complications due to cancer. Her two daughters, Monika who lives here in Key West, and Paulina, who lives in Poland, are currently making funeral arrangements that include transportation of Grace’s body to Poland so that she may be laid to rest in her homeland. I will be leading our school staff in supporting a donation to help cover the cost of transportation, and I invite our families to consider offering their support as well. This is the link that a friend of Monika’s set up to help: https://www.gofundme.com/stand-by-monika
Blue Marlin Jewelry Design Winners
Three students from May Sands Montessori were among the top 25 students whose jewelry design drawings were selected in Blue Marlin Jewelry’s Annual Saige Raiche Memorial Junior Designer Mother’s Day Contest: Rylee Rich, Kara Norma, and Ella Baxter.
The students’ designs will be on display in the Blue Marlin Jewelry store this Thursday, April 19th during Art Walk in Islamorada’s Art District, Morada Way from 6-9 p.m. There will be music, food trucks, and vendors.
Summer Literacy Adventure
The 2018 Summer Literacy Adventure is a joint initiative sponsored by Florida’s First Lady Ann Scott, the Florida Department of Education, the Florida Lottery, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to help Florida’s students maintain and improve their reading skills throughout the summer months. An underlying aim of the initiative is to emphasize the importance of making reading a daily routine, even when school is not in session. The 2018 Summer Literacy Adventure challenges all Florida students to pledge to read as many books as possible throughout the summer break. Students can complete an electronic Summer Literacy Adventure pledge to plan their summer reading: http://web02.fldoe.org/SummerLitAdv/SummerLitAdventure.aspx. Also, students and parents can search for book titles via this link: https://fab.lexile.com/fab/fl/.
The following links have resources that can help you encourage reading at home:
Grades K-2: http://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/just-read-fl/just-take-20/families/k-2/
Grades 3-5: http://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/just-read-fl/just-take-20/families/3-5/35-classroom.stml#encourage
Grades 6-8: http://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/just-read-fl/just-take-20/families/6-8/68-classroom.stml#test
