News Archive

Montessori Buzz – Aug. 25, 2020

A message from our Executive Director 

Dear MA Families,

I can appreciate the amount of information that has been coming at you over the last couple of weeks, not only from the school, but from numerous Ministry of Education announcements. I want to assure you, we will be starting school on Tuesday, September 8, and we can’t wait to welcome your children, our students, back to the classroom! We have been planning for weeks and putting things in place for your children to return to a safe, welcoming, but more importantly, a caring and loving environment. Since all of our students will have the opportunity to phase into their classrooms in small groups the week beforeschool starts to learn about new routines and processes, we will not be delaying the start to the school year.

With the success of our summer programs and the joy we witnessed from the children in attendance, we have observed first-hand the impact of what a return to routine, peers and programming can provide. We know this year will be different and we know it will be difficult for many reasons, but we are one MA-zing community that will navigate this together. We will continue to monitor what is happening in London, stay updated with the MLHU and adjust our programs as required. We are committed to guiding your children the Montessori way, whatever their educational journey may look like this year, through trust in our community, connected relationships, and bringing our brave.  

Be well,
Tina Sartori 

August Mailing Items Due this Friday!

All of our August letters, Phasing-In schedules and documents that are required to be returned prior to the start of school are now available on the MA Parent Portal. Please ensure all items are completed or returned (if applicable) by no later than Friday, August 28. (Psst…that’s this Friday!) 

Please follow the instructions below to access August Mailing information and items for your child(ren):

1. Login to the MA Parent Portal: https://montessori.myschoolapp.com/

If you do not remember your username and/or password, or are a new family and have not logged onto the portal before, please select ‘Forgot login or first time logging in?’ and follow the instructions to retrieve your username and/or password. Note: Please ensure you are entering the e-mail address we have on file for one of the parents or guardians in your household.

If you experience any issues logging on, please e-mail info@montessori.on.ca or call the Main Office at 519-433-9121.

2. Submit the Required Online Forms

Once logged in, the forms listed below will be available through the yellow banner at the top of your screen.

  • Student Emergency Contacts
  • Student Medical Update
  • Permissions & Release of Information
  • Student & Parent Information Update

To begin, click the yellow banner and select the “Review” button next to any of the listed forms. Once a form has been successfully submitted, it will disappear from your list.

3. Review your August communications through your child’s Classroom Bulletin Board

We’ve moved the August letters from your child(ren)’s teachers online. Follow the steps below to view the August letters, phasing-in schedules and more:

  1.  Select your child’s name in the top left corner of your screen. If you have multiple children enrolled at the school, hover over ‘Children’ to view a drop down list.
  2. Scroll down to ‘Courses’ and select your child’s homeroom. This will take you to the Classroom Bulletin Board.
  3.  Please review all of the information posted on your child’s classroom Bulletin Board. This includes the:
  • August Classroom Letter 
  • Phasing-In Schedules
  • Home Visits (Toddler students only)
  • 2020 COVID-19 Home Screening Form (Toddler and Casa students only)
  • Sunscreen and Skin Cream Permission Form (Toddler and Casa students only)

4. Review Items on the Resource Board

  • Click on ‘Resources’ at the top of your screen
  • Items available on the Resource Board include:
    • September 2020 Return to School Information (including COVID Parent Guides)
    • August Mailing 2020-2021 Forms (Medical Forms & Request for Extended Hours)
    • Parking Protocols [NOTE: We’ve recently updated the Parking procedures to reflect September 2020 COVID-related changes in procedures]
  • Print off and complete any forms applicable to your child(ren) and submit them to the Main Office by August 28, 2020. 

Checklist of August Mailing Items

This is a new process and many steps are involved, so please refer to this August Mailing 2020 Checklist (PDF) to track the forms that need to be completed or returned to the school by Friday.

Reminder: Online Attestation must be completed

Please remember to complete the attestation form that is hyperlinked at the end of the COVID-19 Parent Guides sent in the Buzz last week. These forms need to be completed for each child before school begins to ensure that families have read and understood our new policies and procedures. Links to the guides can be found on: 

Please remember you must complete one attestation per level (Toddler/Casa, Elementary/Junior High), as applicable to your family. 

The Office will be closed Friday

Friendly reminder that this is our last week of Summer Office Hours – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through THURSDAY. The Office will be closed on Friday to provide the Admin team some much-deserved downtime.

HOWEVER, the mail slot at the front door of 719 Waterloo St. will remain open to receive August mailing forms and payments made by cheque. 

Next week, the Office resumes regular office hours – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the teachers will be on-site.

 

Staffing Updates for 2020-2021

We have a number of staffing updates to share. Shawn Butler will be transitioning into a part-time admin role this year as the Upper Elementary & Junior High Coordinator. Congrats to Shawn for taking on this new role! Shawn’s big picture thinking, creative mind and passion for Montessori will be key drivers as he moves forward in this position. He will take over from Kristen overseeing most of the aspects of the JH program and will spend time in Upper Elementary learning more about their programming and to support that team when necessary. He will still be very involved in the Junior High program, and will teach math at Junior High, however he will have dedicated time to fulfill elements of this new role. With Megan Cedrone in the process of completing her Montessori Adolescent training, this will give her the opportunity to jump back into the world of teaching science along with French, using her Master of Science background in Biology.  

Sara Heald will be with us until the end of September before heading off on her maternity leave, however starting Faculty Week, she will be training the person who is going to take over her role as Executive Assistant. After interviewing very strong candidates, we are excited to welcome MA parent Jennifer Rayman to the admin team! Jennifer’s vast knowledge of our school as a parent, and administrative experience in numerous roles, makes her a strong and complimentary  addition to our admin team.  

Sadly, our long-time Elementary lunch coordinator Nancy Danzer is not returning to our hot lunch program this fall as she is focusing on her new grandbaby! As such, we will welcome back Rachel Nguyen to this role starting in October. Some families may recall that Rachel worked as our Receptionist a few years ago before leaving to have her third child. 

Contacting teachers during the school day

Because the teachers soon will be back on-site and in the classrooms full-time, we ask parents to call the school to contact the teachers. This no-email policy is in place so that the teachers can focus their attention on their top priority: the children. During class time, your call will be put through to voicemail, and the teachers will respond to your message as soon as possible. (FYI: Urgent calls will be put straight through the classrooms.)

Heads-up: Construction on Piccadilly and along Colborne

If you’ve been close to the school lately, you know that there are pylons everywhere. Or at very least along Piccadilly east of Waterloo and along Colborne north of Queens Ave. We’re not sure when it’ll start or how long it will last. Waterloo Street looks like it will be the best north-south route near the school. We appreciate your care and patience when you’re in the area. 

Montessori’s 150th birthday

Monday, August 31 is Dr. Maria Montessori’s 150th birthday! The Global Montessori community is coming together virtually on Sunday, Aug. 30, to celebrate. Interested in join in? Visit the website: www.montessorieverywhere.org. 

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