February 6, 2019
On Thursday, January 31 our community gathered for Montessori Night School. This evening, eagerly anticipated by the students, gave Primary through High School children the opportunity to demonstrate their Montessori lessons, make a presentation, or showcase their artistic passions.

The Primary children guided parents through their classrooms to demonstrate practical life lessons, show the use of sensorial materials like the pink tower or binomial cube, or read from a favorite book. Lower Elementary children showed of their mathematical equation-solving skills through the use of checker boards, racks and tubes, and bead frame materials.

Upper Elementary students presented food research in Ms. Maggie’s class – covering the geographic origins, agricultural and manufacturing processes, and fun facts of foods like milk, cheese, bread, chocolate, salsa, bananas and more! (They also provided samples for attendees’ enjoyment.) In Mr. Snow’s Upper Elementary class the students presented science experiments on topics ranging from the melting points of different types of chocolate to learning about the bacteria that lives amongst us.

The Adolescent Community launched and sold their AC Literary Magazine,  Pages and Paragraphs , and also presented art in an exhibit co-curated with the High School. This inaugural exhibit featured original paintings, sculpture, drawings, theatre portfolios, and photography.

Click the following links to view Montessori Night School photo galleries for  Primary Lower Elementary Ms. Maggie’s Upper Elementary Food Fair Mr. Snow’s Upper Elementary Science Fair ; and the  AC/HS Art Exhibit .

UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, February 8
  • Friends of the Garden Work Day, 8:15 AM (Welcome Center)
  • PSO Book Club Meeting, 8:30 AM (Gym)

Saturday, February 9
  • Sociables: The Escape Game, 3:30 – 5:00 PM SOLD OUT
  • Sociables: Couples Game Night, 7:00 – 10:00 PM (Harding Residence)
 
Sunday, February 10
  • Sociables: Lunar New Year 2019, 2:00 – 5:00 PM (SCM Gym)
 
Monday, February 11
  • Reenrollment Packets due via ParentsWeb
  • Scholastics Orders due
 
Tuesday, February 12
  • Friends of the Library Work Day, after drop off (Library)
  • AC Market, 3:10 – 4:45 PM (Outside of the Welcome Center)
 
Wednesday, February 13
  • Steps 4 Students race day packet pick up for team members, all day (Welcome Center)
  • Christian Meditation for Parents, 8:05 AM (Atrium)
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Enrollment Deadlines for the 2019–2020 School Year Are Next Week
Reenrollment for the 2019–2020 School Year Due February 11
The deadline to submit reenrollment for current students is next Monday, February 11, 2019. The reenrollment packet is available online via  ParentsWeb . Please check your email for instructions to complete reenrollment.
New Student Applications Due February 14

Please submit any sibling applications for new students by the application deadline of Thursday, February 14, 2019. You can access the Online Application on the SCM website by going to Admissions tab and selecting  Online Application .  

For questions regarding reenrollment or new student applications, please contact Julie McLarry at  jmclarry@stcathmont.org .
Save the Date: AC Pancake Breakfast
The tradition continues!

The AC will host their annual Pancake Breakfast at school on Saturday, February 16 after Steps 4 Students.

Cash and credit cards will be accepted at the door. Proceeds to benefit AC Enterprises.
ADVANCING THE MISSION
Steps 4 Students
Team SCM is at 406 Team Members and Counting – THANK YOU!
Now it’s time to ramp up fundraising efforts to help St. Catherine’s Montessori reach our total goal of $16,000 in registrations and donations to support our Tuition Assistance Program. If every current team member raises  $40 we will make it!

Check out St. Catherine’s fundraising champion, Madison Fenton
Three-year-old Maddy is a Primary student in Ms. Jenny’s class. Her mom Gabby personalized Maddy’s fundraising page with a photo and sweet message, then sent a short email on Maddy’s behalf to their closest family and friends. The email explained that Maddy will run/walk her very first 5K with her mommy and daddy on February 16, and concluded with, “Would you like to make a donation to sponsor me? It will both motivate me and help my amazing school! No amount is too small would just really love your support! Click on my personal link below!

We’re asking that all SCM Steps 4 Students team members consider following the Fenton Family’s example by personalizing your fundraising page and sending the link to your network of family and friends. Some may need to think a bit beyond immediate family, if each of our 406 current team members raises just $40, we will reach our $16,000 goal. 

Fun Fact: The individual fundraising target drops to $23/team member if we can add an additional 37 people to our roster.  That’s right: It’s not too late to  register and join Team SCM as a runner, walker, or snoozer! The individual registration fee is now $30 per person. 
Here’s a Fun Incentive to Fundraise for Team SCM: Choose a “Guide on a Stick”
Over the Steps 4 Students weekend, our Guides will be out of town attending the AMI/USA 2019 Refresher Course and Workshops. Since the Guides cannot be in two places at once, help us represent them at the 5K Run/Walk by carrying their picture in the crowd. 
Every SCM Team member that gets 5 or more people to donate to their Steps 4 Students fundraising page will get to carry a picture sign of the Guide of your choice. If you like, you can choose to show appreciation for a non-Guide SCM staff member. We suspect Coach Nicky might be a favorite.
Steps 4 Students Volunteer Opportunities

Sign up here to volunteer. We need help with folding t-shirts, packet assembly, and food for race day.
This Week in Sociables
Couples Game Night
4 Couple  Tickets Available
Spend a fun evening full of friends and laughs playing Pictionary, the classic game of drawing and guessing pictures. Bring your spouse or a friend! We'll enjoy Pisco Sour cocktails and light bites as well.

 February 9, 2019 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Ticket Price : $45/person  Maximum # of Attendees:  20
Location:  Harding Residence
Hosts:   Dana and Adam Bayer, Sarah and Leo Costello, Wanda and Barry Harding, Brooke and Andrew Nyberg, Edith and Adrian Segovia
Lunar New Year 2019 Celebration
9 Family Tickets Available
Delight in the exuberance of a colorful lion dance, and a Chinese dance. For the first time at SCM, we will present a Chinese yo-yo performance and the opportunity for families to participate and learn some new yo-yo skills. Strike a lucky pose in the costume photo booth, and enjoy various new year foods, activities, and crafts! 

 February 10, 2019 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Ticket Price : $50/family  Maximum # of Attendees:  30 families
Location:  SCM Gym
Hosts:  May Chiu, Vy Collett, Mardi Do, Janella Gee, Ivy Koteras, Monica Tang, Jennifer Wu
Click the image above to watch video of the lion dance from the Lunar New Year 2018 Sociable
SCM is Off the Hook: Learn to Crochet
Last Saturday, Paulette Chavez, Teresa Palmer, and Romesha Jayasundera hosted a Sociable to teach Lower and Upper Elementary children how to crochet or advance their crochet stills. The 2.5 hours flew by, and at the end of the morning the children had created decorations for a pencil holder, bookmarks, or Valentine’s Day hearts. Some Upper Elementary attendees even began work on a colorful scarf with hand-warmer pockets, and at least one host received a lesson in finger knitting from a young attendee.

Click here to view photos from Learn to Crochet.
Please refer to the  Sociables Catalog for more information on all parties, and contact Melissa Lopez at  mlopez@stcathmont.org to check on party availability and purchase tickets.
PSO ACTIVITIES
From the PSO President: Preparing for Next School Year
The St. Catherine’s Montessori Parent Service Organization (PSO) is already starting to plan for next school year! The PSO consists of committees dedicated to enhancing the experience of students, faculty, and parents at SCM. Each committee is led by one or two parent co-chairs.  New for next year , parents will have the opportunity to sign up as members of committees, which allows parents to be involved in committees of their interest at the level that best fits their own schedule.    

Please join us next year by volunteering with one (or more) of the PSO committee using our SignUpGenius . Descriptions for each committee are found on the  SCM website .

For more information, please contact me at  pso@stcathmont.org
Thank you!
 
Courtney Lerch
PSO President
PSO Friends of the Atrium
In February we celebrate The Presentation of the Lord. Please stop by the wooden table in the Welcome Center to learn more.

Click here  to read this month's newsletter. 
PSO Book Club Meeting: Friday, February 8 
The PSO Book Club will discuss  UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World by Dr. Michelle Borba on Friday, February 8 at 8:30 AM in the Gym. All are welcome to attend – even if you have not read the book!
Mark Your Calendars
SPORTS
Track Starts on February 11
Practice for the 2019 track season starts next Monday, February 11. Track is available for students in the 4th year and above. The practice schedule will be as follows: 

Upper Elementary
Monday and Wednesday: 2:30 – 3:15 PM

Adolescent Community
Monday – Thursday: 3:30 – 4:30 PM

All Upper Elementary students are invited to stay for the 3:30 – 4:30 PM practices as long as they have permission from their parents, and it doesn’t interfere with a prior commitment.

There is still time to register for the 2019 track season. Please visit ParentsWeb to fill out the necessary forms.
 
Please contact Coach Nicky Mintz at  nmintz@stcathmont.org with questions.
Parents vs Students Basketball Game 
Basketball season has come to an end. All the hard work was celebrated at the annual Parent vs. Students basketball game!

Click here to view game photos.
INSIDE and OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
AC Market—The Hive 
HIGH SCHOOL CORNER
Welcome back to the High School Corner!
 
As many of you already know, the High School took a trip to Greece and Italy in December 2018. As a way to record our experiences, we created blogs and vlogs; short videos that reflect a certain aspect of the trip. This week, we will be releasing the blogs and vlogs that were created about our 4-day experience in Greece. 
 
Our blogs and vlogs weren’t just put together quickly on the trip. There were weeks of preparation and planning to help us be as efficient as possible and capture everything we needed. We analyzed the work of professional vloggers, watched our fair share of Rick Steves’ clips, and created our own storyboards. Even with all of this forethought, there were many factors that were out of our control—some of the things we planned to film didn’t end up working out; constant rain and strong wind tried to prevent the filming of vlogs; and some of us decided last minute that we wanted to change our blog topics. There are many unknowns surrounding traveling, so we had to learn to be quick on our feet and ready for anything! After returning from the trip, we had to edit footage, write voiceovers, and make final copy edits. 
 
The amount of effort put into these products was significant, and we are happy to finally be able to share them with you!
 
Blogs :
 
Vlogs
 
Next week we will be releasing our blogs and vlogs about our experiences in Florence, Italy. Make sure to check back in and watch those! 
 
Thank you for reading, and we will see you next week!

Sophia D.
High School Corner Committee Member 
If you would like to submit something for the Globe, please send it for approval to globe@stcathmont.org by  Monday at noon.

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