Dear New School Families,

Welcome to the start of the 2024-2025 school year! I hope you all had a wonderful summer, whether you enjoyed it with us at summer camp or had other adventures.

This time of year is always exciting, as our teachers and staff have been diligently preparing their classrooms and programs. Our teacher workweek was a whirlwind of decorating and implementing thoughtful classroom enhancements, creating diverse spaces and opportunities for both indoor and outdoor learning. We are all eagerly looking forward to welcoming back our students and starting a new year full of engaging possibilities!

As we begin this new year and share some exciting developments, I want to take a moment to reflect on our journey. In February 1984, The New School opened its doors as a learning environment for The North Carolina Center for Montessori Teacher Education (NCCMTE). For many years, both institutions operated under the same organizational umbrella, committed to providing an exceptional education to children and to educators throughout North Carolina and beyond.

Forty years later, we are proud to see our school flourish into a vibrant community that has nurtured countless young minds and trained and inspired hundreds of educators from a wide variety of diverse backgrounds. We are deeply humbled and grateful for the trust you place in us to educate your child and are excited to celebrate this milestone with you.

As we continue our development journey, those of you who were with us last year may remember our ongoing effort to connect the school to the town's water and sewer systems. This goal, which began many years ago, was delayed by Covid. However, I’m thrilled to announce that as of a few weeks ago, we are now fully connected! This advancement not only resolves the potentially debilitating infrastructure issues we were facing but also opens up many possibilities for our future development. While additional work is still needed, as indicated by the construction tape near the playground, we expect this phase to be completed within a few weeks. Stay tuned for what lies ahead in our ongoing Campus Improvement Plan!

In addition to preparing our environment to best meet the needs of each student, another key element of a successful Montessori education is maintaining a strong partnership between school and home. Better student outcomes are consistently linked to the coordination and alignment of what happens in the classroom with what happens at home. We are excited to collaborate with you to help your child reach their full potential. To support this effort, please be sure to review and respond to all emails and announcements and take full advantage of the resources provided by your teachers and the school.

Whether you are a returning family or new to our community, starting a new school year can feel overwhelming with the flood of messages and updates filling your inbox. With this in mind, I hope this email and our new online resources help make your transition as smooth as possible.

Please know we are here to help support your child and your family! Don't hesitate to contact us at info@montessoricenter.org if you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns.

Thank you for being a part of our school community!

Best wishes,

Julie

Julie Schroer

Head of School

Staffing Updates

As many of you may remember, Ms. Kristen Cullen was initially scheduled to leave the school after completing her Master’s in Clinical Social Work to fulfill her internship year. We are delighted to announce that Kristen has successfully arranged to stay with us and continue in her role as Director of Student Services and Programming! 

For those who have been with us for a while, you might remember Ms. Crystal Burdick, Ms. Anu Singh, and Ms. Shelly Feliciano. Due to a relocation and other personal reasons, they sadly had to leave the school at different times over the past few years. However, we’re thrilled to announce that they are all returning to the school this year. Welcome back, Anu, Crystal, and Shelly! 

This summer, we sadly said goodbye to Ms. Melody, who was an invaluable member of our office team. On a positive note, we’ll still have the chance to see her around, as she remains an important part of our school community as a parent of a CH student! We also bid a farewell to Ms. Olivia this summer. We wish her the best in her future career.

Toward the end of our spring semester, we were delighted to welcome Ms. Sydney Price, a certified Montessori teacher, to our TNS family. Sydney has quickly become an integral part of our team, and we’re excited to have her with us. We also warmly welcome Ms. Komal Shah, who has joined us recently as a teaching assistant in Early Years and Children's House. Welcome, Sydney and Komal! 

After an extensive search, we are pleased to announce the addition of a new full-time Spanish teacher to our school. Ms. Mary Murman, who moved to Argentina as a young girl and has recently returned to the U.S., is a native Spanish speaker with over 20 years of teaching experience. We are excited to introduce her and our new foreign language program for ages 2 and older. 

I also want to extend a warm welcome to Ms. Kim Lawyer, a parent at our school, who has joined us as a part-time Event Organizer. We’re excited to benefit from her expertise in this area and look forward to her support in coordinating our main school events.

What's New This Year?

• All programs and morning carpool will now begin at 8:20am. Morning carpool will end at 8:35am. 

• Early Care (for those enrolled in this program) will now be held in the yurt between 7:30am and 8:20am. Ms. Jane Dill will be supervising this program. Ms. Crystal will also be present and available in the office area. 

• Please note that our full-day pre-elementary programs (Nido, EY, and CH) all end promptly at 4:00pm. CH Sibling, Elementary and MAP programs still end at 3:30pm. 

• Child Pilot will now automatically calculate charges for late dismissals, with billing for these charges occurring separately from tuition invoices every two weeks. To avoid these extra fees, please be sure to arrive early enough to check out on time! 

• Administrators may only sign out of Child Pilot on behalf of an individual picking up as a last resort if the app is not working. If this occurs, we may require the family to complete a form indicating the time of departure and other relevant details. 

• Based on new mandates implemented by DCDEE licensing, we have new guidelines for pre-elementary snacks and lunches. If you have a child in Nido, EY, or CH, please make sure you have received the email outlining these requirements. Please know we have worked hard to find ways to mitigate any inconvenience caused by these new rules. Thank you for your understanding! 

• Parents now have the opportunity to join a broader range of committees, allowing for greater involvement in their child’s classroom and the school community! 

• The updated version of the Parent Handbook will be distributed during the first week of school. 

• Please use the carpool door for all arrivals and departures outside of your child's regular schedule (unless a teacher has indicated you may use the external classroom door). 

• For security reasons, please avoid approaching the office door at any time or for any purpose unless specifically permitted to do so. Please use the carpool door at all times. 

• Each classroom now has a dedicated whiteboard and accompanying Google Doc, accessible through the Parent Resources page. This resource is designed to help you easily find classroom-specific documents, updates, and other materials. We’re still in the process of populating this information, and it will be available soon. Please note that only parents with children enrolled in each classroom will have access to the corresponding Google Doc.

Campus Improvement Plan (CIP) Updates

We are beyond thrilled to announce that our years-long effort to connect to the town's water and sewer systems has finally come to fruition—we are now fully connected! 

Please note that the pathway and main gate to the CH Playground will remain closed for additional work next week. However, children can still access the area through the double gate located on the side of the playground. Families picking up from the CH playground should also use the double gate area. 

The next phase of our Campus Improvement Plan (CIP) will involve installing additional outdoor classroom spaces, enhancing playground facilities, increasing accessibility to our creek and forest trails, and moving forward with our rezoning application. This rezoning will pave the way for expanding our current building and eventually installing other structures. Exciting developments lie ahead of us!

Additional Resources

Lunch Services

We will be continuing to offer the very popular Pizza Wednesdays and My Hot Lunchbox services this year. Hopefully, this will provide some relief from the new food storage rules for our pre-elementary students!

Pizza deliveries will begin on Wednesday, August 21st. Use the link below to sign up for the fall semester. Be sure to submit your form no later than Tuesday at noon!

PIZZA SIGN-UP FORM

The My Hot Lunchbox service will begin on August 26th. This semester's lunch options include Tropical Smoothie Cafe (Mondays), Schlotzky's Deli (Tuesdays), Panera Bread (Thursdays), and Chick-fil-A (Fridays). Click the link below to access the My Hot Lunchbox site.

MY HOT LUNCHBOX

After-school Clubs

Our after-school club information will be updated shortly. Please make sure to sign up early if interested in any of these clubs as they fill up quickly!



All families should have received a "welcome back" email from their child's teachers. This communication includes important details about supplies and the classroom community. If you haven't received it, please reach out to your child's teachers directly.

As your child packs for their first day, please help them resist the temptation to bring their most treasured keepsakes, toys, or electronics to school. These items can easily get lost or damaged.

We encourage families to start using the carpool service on the first day of school (available to Children's House, Elementary, and MAP students). This not only helps ease long-term separation anxiety, but it also fosters a strong sense of independence in your child. However, we understand that the first day of school is a special occasion for both parents and children! If you prefer to walk your child to the building, please park in the upper lot and escort them to the carpool door between 8:20am. and 8:35am. Teachers will be present at the door, as well as in the hallways, to warmly welcome your child.

If your child experiences separation issues, we understand how tough it can be to see those parting tears. It might seem counter-intuitive, but a quick drop-off can actually help ease the transition for your child. Please rest assured that our teachers are experienced in helping children quickly settle into their activities and adjust to the classroom. If your child is having a particularly hard time, a teacher will reach out to you during the day.

Lastly, we want to stress the importance of arriving on time. Children who begin their day with their peers adjust much more quickly than those who arrive after the class has started. Arriving on time also ensures they don’t miss morning orientations or lessons!

Please note the first day of school is an Early Release day. The dismissal times and locations are as follows:

Note: If you have children in multiple programs, please pick up at the earlier time.

A warm welcome to the new families joining us this year!

We understand that transitioning into a new school community can feel overwhelming, with so much information to absorb. To help ease the process, we've provided two links below: one offers a brief orientation to our policies and helpful resources, and the other takes you to our Parent Resource page, where you’ll find updates and information throughout the year.

Additionally, we invite you to schedule an in-person or virtual meeting with an administrator. This is a great opportunity to get answers to any questions you may have and to familiarize yourself with the school.

Our four primary sources of communication include emails via Constant Contact, chat messages and emergency texts through Child Pilot, online updates and resources via our website (montessoricenter.org), and academic information and incident/accident reports via Transparent Classroom.

Emails

Every Sunday, you'll receive my weekly email with important updates and announcements. If you aren't receiving these messages, please contact the school as soon as possible. Additionally, please keep an eye on your inbox for emails from your child's teachers or other administrators.

Event details and periodic updates from the Community Engagement Committee will also be sent via email.

Child Pilot

Please ensure you have access to the Child Pilot (CP) app and can view your child's profile. It is crucial that you check your profile to make sure all contact details are accurate and up-to-date.

For security purposes, please upload photos of all parents and individuals authorized to pick up your child. If images are missing, our staff will be available to take a picture and upload it for you.

Following this email, we will send two test notifications via CP - one through the internal messaging feature and another via SMS text. Please let us know tomorrow if you do not receive these messages.

Transparent Classroom

Transparent Classroom (TC) can be easily accessed through your browser on both computers and mobile devices. While most notifications from TC will be sent via email, be sure to log in directly to stay updated on your child's progress and explore the Montessori curriculum.

Website

With many school and classroom events, activities, and updates, keeping track of everything in your inbox or on CP can be challenging. To simplify finding information, we’re enhancing our website resources to offer a reliable hub for current updates. Our Parent Resources page will remain a central location for the most relevant information. Additionally, I will continue to post important links in the footer of my weekly emails.

Contacting the School

We monitor Child Pilot throughout the day, but due to other distractions, we may not always be able to access messages quickly. For any important or time-sensitive communications, please call the school or use the emails below.

Child Pilot Attendance Process

Whenever you arrive or depart, please use your Child Pilot app to record the time using the QR code posted around the building or presented by a staff member.

If you encounter any issues with the system, please visit the office for assistance. It's essential that all arrivals and departures are accurately recorded with digital signatures to ensure we have a clear record of who dropped off or picked up a child. This procedure is important not only for security but also for accurately determining childcare charges.

We’re more than happy to help resolve any issues you encounter with the app. However, having an administrator sign out for you should be a last resort. If this occurs, you may be asked to complete an additional form indicating the time of departure and other details.

Arrivals

• Early Care (for those enrolled) runs between 7:30am and 8:20am in the yurt behind the MAP building.
• Arrival for all other programs starts at 8:20am.
• For your convenience, a staff member will be at the carpool door until 9:00am to assist with late arrivals.
• All arrivals after 9:00am should proceed to the carpool door (not the office door) and use the silver call button to notify the administration.
• Please note that there is no direct drop-off for CH or Elementary students at any time.

Please see the tables below for the arrival and departure times and locations for each program.

Nido & Early Years

Children's House, Elementary, & MAP

Departures

• Departures for all half-day programs is at 12:00pm.
• All full-day pre-elementary (Nido, EY, and CH) programs end at 4:00pm.
• Elementary & MAP programs ends at 3:30pm.
• Regular after-school (for those enrolled in this program) ends at 5:00pm.
• Extended after-school (for those enrolled in this program) ends at 5:30pm.
• If you need to pick up your child early, please do so via alerting administration using the call button at the carpool door.
• Please note departure locations may change and will be announced via Child Pilot or email.

Nido & Early Years

Children's House

Elementary & MAP

Please be on the lookout for additional information and news as we launch the new school year.



We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow! 

Upcoming Events

Helpful Links