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MMS Monthly E-Newsletter | March 2024

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Dear MMS Families,

We look forward to seeing all of you at our Spring Conferences, coming up on March 14 and 15. Be sure to signup for your time slots using the link below. Upper Elementary and Middle School students participate in student-led conferences, so they will attend conferences with you.

Thanks to all of you who were able to attend our February Parent Education sessions. If your student will be new to MMS next year or moving up to the next level (Toddler to Primary, Primary to Lower Elementary, and so on), you will want to join us for Step Up Parent Education for a preview of what's to come for your child. Step Up Parent Education dates can be found in this newsletter.

Be on the lookout soon for information about 2024 Campessori, our eight-week summer program. You will receive the schedule, themes, and registration details by March 5.

Thank you for sharing your children with us. We appreciate your support.

Best wishes,

Jennifer Carriger

Director

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

Parent-Teacher Conferences are an important opportunity to sit down and discuss your child’s progress in school. Now is the time to schedule your child's conference. Spring 2024 conferences will take place on Thursday, March 14-Friday, March 15.

You can schedule your conference by clicking the link below. It is as simple as finding your child's teacher and finding a time/day that works for you.

There will be NO SCHOOL on these conference days.

Upper Elementary and Middle School students attend conferences with their parents.

Childcare will be provided for Primary and Lower Elementary students in the Staunton Spanish room during your child's specific conference time only. Toddler families - if you need childcare during your child's conference, please email Nasrin Chbarek.

Conference sign-ups

MONTESSORI EDUCATION WEEK(S)

Please watch for announcements of this year's Montessori Education Week(s) activities. Our staff and Student Life Committee are planning a wonderful array of events to celebrate the gift of Montessori education as well as our own special school community.

Mark your calendars for February 25-March 9... and stay tuned!

PARENT RESOURCES

“The child has a mind able to absorb knowledge. He has the power to teach himself.” Maria Montessori

Want to learn more about Montessori?

The AMS Family Connection is an informative monthly newsletter for families of AMS member schools. This digital and printable publication includes articles on topics such as Montessori philosophy, Montessori tips for the home, a peek inside the classroom, and more.

Click on the photo to be linked to the latest issue, which explores the "absorbent mind."

UPCOMING EVENTS

Plus Session 3 | January 22 - March 22

Guitar and Ukulele Lessons | January 22-March 26

Montessori Education Week(s) | February 25-March 9

February 29 | Middle School Step Up Night | 5:30 p.m.

March 1 | New Hope Scholarship student application window opens

March 2 | Middle School Pancake Breakfast | 8:00-11:00 a.m. RSVP

March 14-15 | Parent-Teacher Conferences | No School | Sign up

March 21 | Staff Meeting | No Plus

March 28 | Guitar and Ukulele Concert | 5:00 p.m.

Spring Break | March 29-April 5 | No School

March 30 | Financial aid applications due

April 25 | Staff Meeting | No Plus

May 7 | Toddler and Primary Step Up Night | 5:30 p.m.

May 9 | Lower and Upper Elementary Step Up Night | 5:30 p.m.

NEW! May 17 | MMS Annual Spring Gala | Berry Hills Country Club | Details TBA

May 20-24 | Standardized Testing Week for grades 3-8

May 23 | Staff Meeting | No Plus

May 27 | Memorial Day | No School

June 5 | Last Day of School/All-School Picnic

June 15 | Hope Scholarship deadline

2023-24 MMS School Calendar | Please note that dates are subject to exigent circumstances

SEND OUR TEACHERS PACKING FOR $10

For just a $10/student donation, you can help sponsor the five MMS faculty members who will be joining educators from around the globe at "The Montessori Event," the largest gathering of Montessori minds in the world. in March.

Thanks to an extremely generous anonymous donation, we're THISCLOSE to reaching our Annual Appeal goal of $20,000. The Annual Appeal is a critical fundraiser for our teacher training and appreciation activities, including sponsorship of professional development opportunities such as The Montessori Event.

Support your child's education by helping send a guide from each Montessori level -- Samantha Van Den Berghe-Lynch (Toddler), Angela Walker (Primary), Alasha Al-Qudwah (Elementary), Sarah Halstead (Middle School), and Jennifer Carriger (Administration) -- to this important event.

Text mmsnolimits to 76278 or click on the donate link today! Thank you!

Donate

We're asking every family to make a $10 donation/child to close out the Annual Appeal.

2024-25 BACK TO SCHOOL KEY DATES

August 15: Back to School Night - all levels (mandatory)
August 16: New student visits
August 19: First day for students - Primary kindergarten-age ONLY, Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, and Middle School (2:45 p.m. dismissal for LE, UE, MS, 11:45 a.m. dismissal for Primary)
August 20: First day for students - Returning 4-year-olds (2:45 p.m. dismissal for LE, UE, MS, 11:45 a.m. dismissal for Primary)
August 21: First day for students - New Primary Friends (2:45 p.m. dismissal for LE, UE, MS, 11:45 a.m. dismissal for Primary)
August 29: Ice Cream Social @ Kanawha State Forest
September 2: School closed/Labor Day
September 9: Annual Meeting for all families (6:00 p.m.)
October 7-8: Fall Parent Conferences/no school

SPRING GALA 2024-SAVE THE DATE

"Learning Without Limits," the 2024 Annual Spring Gala will be held on Friday, May 17, at Berry Hills Country Club. Please join us for an uplifting celebration that generates necessary funding for financial aid, teacher appreciation and facilities at your child's school..

The event will feature entertainment by Vinyl Village and our talented MMS staff; hors d'oeuvres, wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages; and live and silent auctions of student art work and other exclusive prizes.

Mark your calendars... and please watch for details!

Rise to the occasion for education as a sponsor, prize donor or volunteer... contact Becca Stevenson today to get involved!

We can't wait to see what our incredible faculty performers have in store this year!

MIDDLE SCHOOL PANCAKE BREAKFAST

Middle School students invite you to join them at Cafe 304, their pop-up restaurant. Cafe 304 will be serving breakfast on Saturday, March 2, from 8:00-11:00 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church of South Charleston, 518 Second Avenue, SW.

Breakfast will be served buffet-style; reservations are $8/child, $12/age 13 and up.

Space is limited - reserve a table for your family while you still can! Click the link below to RSVP.

Pancake Breakfast Reservations

MONTESSORI MOMENTS

Lower Elementary II students nurtured their green thumbs, learning about all about propagating from plant cuttings (including needs of succulents vs "needy greens") in a lesson led by Upper Elementary Guide Alasha Al-Qudwah. More photos here.

Fourth-year students In Upper Elementary II turned their geometry lessons into works of art with a creativity challenge that asked them to make an art piece using only squares and rectangles. The goal was the measure the area of each rectangle--students had just completed their sensorial work in this area and and this was the last stage in abstraction of the formula. They will repeat the exercise with squares and triangles, etc. as they reach abstraction in their area of advanced equivalences. More photos here.

Upper Elementary I students requested and planned a "Science Museum" to celebrate their work and share with each other. Sixth years have been studying the endocrine system and evaluated the sugar content of foods, which need to be metabolized by the insulin produced by the pancreas, Fifth year students created a menu for an "Imaginary Cafe" for plants, including some delicious offerings of sodium, magnesium and nitrogen. The fourth year students shared research on insects such as the ant, butterfly, cockroach and more! (For their anatomy work, sixth years earlier conducted a "Sugar Lab," converting the grams of sugar found in consumables to teaspoons and then measuring out the sugar contained next to each item. We're not sure any of our students will ever drink Mountain Dew after seeing the 12 teaspoons of sugar found in each bottle!)

Like these photos? Then you'll love MMS on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Photos, school updates and Montessori news are posted nearly every day!

NOW RECRUITING STAFF FOR 2024-25

MMS is well into planning for 2024-25, including addition of a third Lower Elementary classroom!

We're currently recruiting staff for this and other classrooms in the year ahead. We invite you to share these opportunities with those who may interested in joining our team of dynamic educators. Please click the link below for details. NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE.

MMS career info

HOPE SCHOLARSHIP

The West Virginia State Treasurer's Office has released Hope Scholarship information for the 2024-25 school year.

The Hope Scholarship is an Educational Savings Account (ESA) that allows West Virginia families to use the state portion of education funding for certain authorized expenses, including private school tuition. (FYI, the amount available for 2023-24 was $4,488.82/student.)

Current and prospective Hope Scholarship families should pay careful attention to requirements and deadlines to qualify.

MMS students rising to the third year of Primary (kindergarten) next year are eligible to apply for the first time provided they meet age, residency and other requirements.

Please see the WV Treasurer's website (link right) for details and instructions.

WV Hope Scholarship Website

Returning Hope student application window: January 3-June 15, 2024

New Hope student application window opens March 1, 2024

CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS ARE STILL AVAILABLE

What will you see on your visit to your child's classroom?

Registration is now open for classroom observations. Observations give you a chance to experience a bit of the Montessori magic for yourself and see the classrooms through the eyes of a child.

Observations sign-ups

MORE MONTESSORI MOMENTS

Parent education and involvement is an important component of our total education experience at MMS. Here's a look at Lower and Upper Parent Ed events held earlier this month. Thank you to our guides, assistants and families who came together to support student learning at these informative and interactive sessions.

Chess season is underway and the MMS team is on roll! Congratulations to Coach Evan Young and team members who placed in the WV Scholastic Chess Association individual tournament on Saturday. More photos here.

Congratulations to MMS students (and their families) who represented our school at the elementary portion of the 2024 Kanawha County School Math Field Day events... well done, Miles Mauer (fourth year), Aanya Patel (fifth year), and faculty representative Alasha Al-Qudwah!

The universe is whispering to us. MMMS students explored what it has to say during an incredible overnight field study trip to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, WV. Our curriculum leverages the many incredible resources in our state and beyond to offer hands-on experiences that integrate academic study with real-life applications. This one was especially far out!)

While there, our students learned the basics of using the coordinate system for Galactic Latitude and Longitude, investigated RFI, (radio frequency interference) using transistor radios, and determined Right Ascension and Declination, Galactic Latitude and Longitude, and the Radio Frequency of data peaks. Different numbers of peaks show the number of arms of our Milky Way Galaxy. Students proved that our galaxy has different clouds and different arms. Galaxies are shaped differently. We also learned how to determine whether radio waves are going away from us or coming toward us, proving we proved that our galaxy moves. Our data and the data of other scientists enable us to create pictures of our galaxy, because we can’t escape it to photograph it.

More photos here.