Your October MMS Newsletter is here!

Please read for important information and announcements.

MMS Monthly E-Newsletter | October 2019

Dear MMS families,

We've had a wonderful start to the school year - thank you for sharing your children with us! Our classroom communities are starting to settle in and it's always amazing to observe the children's support for and encouragement of each other. Over the past week, I've started my classroom walk-throughs and I've gathered a few quotes from the students that I'd like to share with you to offer a glimpse into life at MMS:

"What if we measured the area of that giant block?!" - Lower Elementary student suggesting an extension of a place value work

"Integer tiles? I love integer tiles!" - Middle school student in math class

"It is now time to become quiet at the carpet." --- Lower Elementary student (classroom volume monitor) offering a reminder to his classmates

"The trash can is over here behind me if you need it." --- third year Primary student guiding a first year Primary student

" I'm going to put the book in the middle so everyone can see it.” --- Upper Elementary student, serving as a Primary helper

"I am planning to research a mammal who can be found in West Virginia." --- Lower Elementary student looking for research materials with fellow students

"We presented a lesson this week and need to decide what the follow-up work will be." --- Upper Elementary students collaborating on a project

Once our classes have had time to settle in, we will invite you to come in to observe the children at work. Usually, we open up for observations after school has been in session for around eight weeks. Meanwhile, thank you again for sharing your children with us --- it is a true pleasure to spend time with them each day!

Best wishes,

Jennifer

MONTESSORI MOMENTS

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!

PARENT ALERT/RENWEB

Big news! We are now able to access Parent Alert through RenWeb/ParentsWeb. This will allow us to send school-wide text messages alerting you to scheduling changes, important announcements, and other time-sensitive information.

Parents must opt-in to Parent Alert from your cell phone. It's easy! Just text START to 22383 and you'll be included on all future group texts.

Also, if you haven't already done so, please visit ParentsWeb to make sure your contact information is complete and up-to-date. If you have any questions, email or call Beth at the school. Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Picture Day | Thursday, October 10, 2019

Mike Hall will be here to take individual and class photos. If you would like to request a sibling photo, please email Beth at bgeorge@mountaineermontessori.org by Tuesday, October 8.

Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences | Monday and Tuesday, October 14 & 15, 2019

Please CLICK HERE to sign up for your child's fall conference. There will be no classes on conference days. The Plus program is available for a fee. Reservations are REQUIRED for Plus so that we may schedule adequate staff. Reserve your spot by calling or emailing Karen at kkelly@mountaineermontessori.org There is no charge for Plus if used during the conference time slot only.

Board Meeting | Monday, October 14, 2019 | 12-1 pm

Everyone is welcome. We meet at the Middle School.

Pancake Breakfast at the Middle School | Saturday, October 26, 2019

All School Parent Education Event | Thursday, November 7 | 5:30-6:30 p.m.

You may have noticed that the phrase "executive function" seems to be everywhere these days, referring to an important set of skills, some say more important than IQ, for determining future successes of our children. In this presentation, to be held at the University of Charleston ballroom, you will learn what executive functions are, how they are exercised and challenged in a Montessori setting and how families can promote executive functions at home and beyond. We think you'll be pleasantly surprised! This program, co-sponsored by the University of Charleston School of Education, will be led by Katie Ibes, a nationally-known Montessori consultant.

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!

FACULTY FOCUS

We are excited to introduce several new faces at MMS. They join an amazing faculty of professionals dedicated to bringing the best educational experience to your child. Please see the faculty section of our website for staff bios and other information about our highly qualified team.

Please join us in welcoming:

Salma Badawi, Office Assistant
Sonji Byers-Baldwin, Lower Elementary I Assistant
Debra Fields, Plus Staff
Sarah Galaska, Lower Elementary II Assistant, Elementary Art Teacher/Middle School Creative Expression Specialist
Erica Pates, Upper Elementary II Assistant/Volunteer and Fundraising Coordinator

Salma Badawi

Sonji Byers-Baldwin

Debra Fields

Sarah Galaska

Erica Pates

BOARD BIZ

MMS officially kicked off our 43rd year of EPIC EDUCATION at the 2019 All School Meeting and Report to the Community, held September 9 at the University of Charleston. During this all-school event, faculty and board members updated attendees on priorities for the year ahead and shared highlights from last school year. Be sure to check out the 2018-19 Annual Report , which is inspired by the new AMS mission statement -- "Montessori empowers humanity to build a better world."

New board members were also elected that evening. Please join us in congratulating Joshua Cusick-Lewis , Samantha Hicks , Brad Holliday , and Lauren Winter ! You can learn more about new and returning board members on the MMS Board of Directors webpage .

‌

Lauren Winter, Brad Holliday and Samantha Hicks

Joshua Cusick-Lewis

THANK YOU

Thank you to the many parents and friends who have made special contributions to our school. Special thanks to:

Primary parents, for providing healthy and delicious snacks for the children.
all our Mulch movers!
Clifton Clark, for picking up 80 bags of playground sand and delivering it to our sandbox.
Upper Elementary parents, for driving students to Make a Splash!
Samantha Hicks, for coordinating our staff meeting meals.
Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream and Ellen Beal for providing and serving ice cream at our annual ice cream social.
Kristie and Donald Simmons, for completing building projects over the summer.
Larry and Angela Whitehouse, for moving furniture from room to room (and back again!) during our LE/Plus/Art room floor refinishing project.
Brian Tucker, for repairing and rebuilding several of our picnic tables.
Josh and Corey Cusick-Lewis, for pressure-washing and applying sealant to our picnic tables.
The University of Charleston, for including our school community in the Welch Athletic Complex celebration and for offering the use of their Appalachian Room for our annual all-school meeting.
our friends at Unity of Kanawha Valley, for partnering with us to complete facilities upgrades at the middle school.
Anna Holliday, for serving as a guest instructor in Upper Elementary II.
Kim Swiger, for providing refreshments for our annual all-school meeting.