January 25, 2022
Important Dates:

1/24-1/28: Great Kindness Challenge Week
1/25: Minimum Day: Teacher Professional Development
AM kinder: 8:00-10:30; PM kinder: 9:30-12:00, 1st-5th: 8:00-12:00 (there is no early/late start for 1st grade)
1/25: Site Council meeting @ 3:15
2/2: PTA meeting and Parent Education Night
2/25: Montair Love Run 
Message From The Principal

Dear Montair Families,

As we roll into the second half of our school year, I’d like to share a few procedural reminders.  School begins at 8:00 for all students.  We have many students who are arriving well past that time.  Thank you for doing your best to ensure your children arrive at school on time. Drop off begins at 7:45. This is when supervision begins on the playground and the front loop.  Please do not drop off your children prior to 7:45.  Finally, we ask that you remind your child to not call home on their cell phones or Gizmo watches during the school day. These devices should not be used during the school day. Your child should speak with a teacher, paraeducator, or office team member if there is a matter that needs to be addressed.  Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. 

We are excited to kick off the Great Kindness Challenge week this week.  Your children received a Great Kindness Challenge list and are encouraged to spread kindness across our campus and community throughout the week.  During lunch time, we will have a Kindness Station manned by our leadership students.  Each day, our students will have the opportunity to write notes of appreciation or gratitude to members of our community.  Students will have the opportunity  to write notes to our police department, fire departments, local hospital, staff, and care facilities in town. On Friday, we have a school spirit day where students are invited to wear T-shirts that promote kindness.  If you would like to bring the Great Kindness Challenge to your home, we invite you to print out the Great Kindness Challenge Family Edition and encourage your children to continue the kindness among your family and neighborhood.

Third grade students with a passion for mathematics are invited to participate in the Mini Math Olympiad.  This is a 5 week class meeting on these proposed dates:  March 21 and 28, April 11, 18 and 25. The material is very challenging and goes well beyond standard math curriculum. There will be weekly problem sets for homework. To learn more about the Mini-Math Olympiad, please read this overview. We need at least 12 students to register in order for us to move forward with the 3rd grade Mini Math Olympiad. Registration for Math Olympiad is due February 11th. 

During our February 2nd PTA meeting, from 6:30-7:30, we will offer a parent education component centered on SEL via Zoom on THIS link. We have the following plan for our parent education sessions. 
 
Overview of our services at Montair ~ 15 min.
Choose to go to breakout rooms for interest specific areas ~45 min.
**Choice 1: conflict resolution/fix up strategies after conflict: Sarah Reardon (Our School Counselor and Jane Espinoza (Our Administration TSA)
**Choice 2: coping with loss/grief: Loulou Ford, our SCIP counselor
**Choice 3: dealing with anxiety and school refusal: Sylvia Leick, our school psychologist
 
We hope to see you at our next PTA meeting! 

Have a beautiful week.

Warm regards,
 
Ms. Lyons
Principal
Montair Elementary School 
2022 with QR Code to register
Julie Lythcott-Haims
Chasing Childhood: Documentary Screening and Conversation
Please join us as we screen the documentary "Chasing Childhood" on our own (you can register to get a free link) and then join us for a conversation with Author Julie Lythcott-Haims for a conversation via zoom webinar on February 3. You can signup now to receive a link for a free screening and view the film between January 27 and February 3, and also register via to join the conversation, which will take place on February 3 at 7pm.
As the world reopens, there’s never been a better time for us to come together to ask ourselves: What do kids need most to thrive? Chasing Childhood examines how free play and independence have all but disappeared from kids’ lives, supplanted by relentless perfectionism and record high levels of anxiety and depression. The film spotlights experts and families who are empowering young people to explore their independence, enjoy unstructured time, and be free to thrive.

Sign-up to view the documentary between January 27 and February 3rd and then register to join the conversation with Author and Panelist Julie Lythcott-Haims on February 3rd at 7pm.

This is a FREE event for you and your family to watch the film. However, we have purchased a limited number of licenses and we ask that you only register for a link if you are going to make it a priority to watch the film during the limited view window, and if possible, watch with as many of your family together using one link so we can maximize the number of people who can watch. Please note: this link is for personal use only - sharing publicly or on social media is not permitted.

For questions about the event, contact Krista Glaser, VP Family Engagement at familyengagement@srvcouncilpta.org.

To learn more, signup to receive a link to view the film, and to sign up to join the webinar, visit www.srvcouncilpta.orgView the flyer here.

If you aren't currently getting the Montair Minute, please subscribe here.