MMS Monthly E-Newsletter | November 2019
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Dear MMS families,
It was wonderful to see you all last month at our fall conferences. I hope you will consider scheduling a classroom observation soon. The classroom observation gives you a true glimpse into your child's life here at school. It is amazing to see and feel the "hum" of a normalized classroom.
Please see details below and sign up for an observation soon!
You'll notice several special events in December. Be sure to mark your calendars for the annual
Book and Bake Sale and
Winter Concert. For our annual Book and Bake Sale, we team up with local bookseller Taylor Books to set up a mini-bookstore in the art room. It's a great time to take care of holiday gift-giving and support MMS at the same time! Parent volunteers assist with this festive event by providing baked goods for purchase and assisting children with making purchases. The
Winter Concert will include ALL Mountaineer Montessori School students, from three-year-olds through eighth year students. Please invite extended family and loved ones to this special event that will take place at UC's Auditorium.
Every day at MMS, I am reminded what an extraordinary community we have built over the past 43 years and of the exceptional educational experience our students enjoy. It is a privilege to observe your children and witness their excitement, joy and passion as they pursue their love of learning and unleash their full potential.
MMS is a true treasure, which requires continual investment to empower today's students and sustain our tradition in the years ahead. "Epic Education," the 2019 annual appeal, provides essential funding for our school. Your gift will help us:
- Fund an MMS “community as classroom” activity bus and continued facilities enhancements.
- Benefit our teacher appreciation and training funds and support ongoing curriculum alignment through the AMS Pathways to Continuous School Improvement process.
- Continue to increase community access to our school through financial aid-nearly $50,000 each year.
The goal of this year’s campaign is $25,000. We plan for 100 percent school participation to meet that goal… every gift of every size matters and makes a difference!
I encourage you to join me in helping to put the epic in education at MMS by
making your gift online
now
or by texting “mmsepic” to 52182.
Best wishes,
Jennifer
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Like these photos? Then you'll love Mountaineer Montessori on Facebook (
MMS
and
MMMS
),
Instagram
and
Twitter
. Photos, school updates and Montessori news items are posted nearly every day!
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PARENT OBSERVATIONS
All classrooms are now open for parent observations. To schedule a time for Primary, Lower Elementary, or Upper Elementary, please call or email Beth at 304-342-7870 or
[email protected].
To schedle an observation at the Middle School, please email Sarah Halstead at
[email protected].
When you arrive at the main campus for your observation, please sign in with Beth. She will provide a clipboard with our observation guidelines and a reflection form. We hope to see you soon!
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MMS Resource Development Committee| Tuesday, November 19, 2019 | 1-2 pm
Everyone is welcome. We meet at the Main School.
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MMMS Marketplace | Friday, November 22, 2019
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Thanksgiving Break, School closed | Wednesday, November 27, 2019- Monday, December 2, 2019
The school will be closed from Wednesday, November 27 till Monday, December 2.
Classes resume on Monday morning. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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MMS Finance Committee| Monday, December 2, 2019 | 12-1 pm
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MMS Board Meeting| Monday, December 9, 2019 | 12-1 pm
Everyone is welcome. We meet at the Middle School.
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Annual Book and Bake Sale | Thursday and Friday, December 12 & 13, 2019
Please click
here
to volunteer for this event - we need families to prepare baked goods and help with the sale tables - thank you!
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Early Dismissal/Winter Concert | Friday, December 20, 2019
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New Year's Break | December 21, 2019 - January 5, 2020
School resumes on Monday, January 6.
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An Epic Evening | MMS Spring Gala | Saturday, March 28, 2020
Please save the date for our annual spring fundraising celebration and art auction to be held at the Woman's Club!
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INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY
With the approach of winter weather, we wish to remind you of our school closing policy:
When inclement weather causes school closings or delays, information will be posted on our
web site
and social media platforms (
Facebook
,
Twitter
, etc.) and sent by email and Parent Alert to all families.
Additionally, local radio and TV stations will carry announcements regarding MMS school closings. (WQBE, V100, WVPR, WCHS, WCHS-TV, WSAZ-TV). Because there may be a delay in these announcements from the time we send them to when they air, please check your email and our social media accounts first rather than relying on local media outlets.
MMS does not follow any of the Kanawha County Schools weather related procedures.
If circumstances require a delayed opening, MMS may open one or two hours late. If you feel that the roads are in such poor condition that it would be difficult for you to get to school safely, please do not attempt to drive. We would much prefer that children stay home than have parents take unnecessary risks to get them to school.
Note: If school is in session when snow begins to fall, and you think that the roads are becoming treacherous, please come for your child immediately without first calling the school. It is much better to come get children than risk having the roads become so hazardous that you are unable to get to the school to pick them up at all.
Mountaineer Montessori School does not make up snow days.
Stay safe and stay warm!
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FACULTY FOCUS
The past few weeks have been a busy time for professional development at MMS. Three nationally-recognized Montessori consultants and trainers visited our school to share expertise and guidance with our staff.
Katie Ibes, a familiar face at MMS, continued her work on curriculum and led a well-attended parent education event on executive function (see news clip below).
Michele Mohar, from the Virginia Center for Montessori Studies, observed classrooms and led a workshop for our Montessori assistants, and
Barb Scholz, a founder of the Cincinnati Montessori Secondary Teacher Education Program, visited the Middle School. We are grateful to Katie, Michele and Barb for helping to ensure excellence at MMS by sharing their perspectives and expertise with us.
Upper Elementary II Guide
Alasha Al-Qudwah traveled to Boston in October to continue her training with the Montessori Education Teacher Training Collaborative. As always, we are grateful to the generous supporters of our fundraising activities, which help fund our teacher training priorities.
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Barb Scholz observes guide Sarah Halstead and the Middle School in action
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Dr. Ray Singleton, chair of the University of Charleston Department of Education, introduces Katie Ibes. We are grateful for our long-standing partnership with UC, which co-sponsored our parent education event.
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BOARD BIZ
MMS continues its progress on the
AMS Pathways to Continuous School Improvement process. While curriculum alignment with staff moves forward, the scope of our activity now expands to operations and management work with administration and the Board of Directors. Study groups are being formed to address polices and practices on topics ranging from safety to finance, communications to inclusion.
As part of this process, and our ongoing strategic planning work, board committees have been restructured and are gearing up. The newly-constituted School Life Committee, chaired by Lauren Winter, will be the main focal point for parent engagement and volunteer activity. Please watch for updates.
AMS Pathways, a mission-driven, standards-based process that helps schools achieve and maintain Montessori excellence, is administered by the American Montessori Society, the nation’s foremost Montessori organization. MMS is the only full member AMS school in West Virginia and the only Pathways school in the state.
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MMS
empowers potential and
inspires the future for our students, community and world. Help us put the epic in education with your donation to the 2019 Annual Appeal..
.please give online or text "mmsepic" to 52182 today. We're counting on your support to fund our programs this year!
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Mountaineer Montessori School
308 20th Street, Charleston, WV 25304
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