SAPMS  9.8.16
St. Augustine Public Montessori School
Dates to Remember
Pizza Friday!
It's THIS Friday 9/9

September 9th 
Hat Snack  Friday
Bring a Hat!

September 12th 
Board Meeting  6pm 

September 15th
Volunteer Training 3:15-4:15
If you are a new volunteer or new parent to our community, please attend this 1 hour (max) training.

September 15th 
Rising Sea; Rising Community at the
St. Augustine Amphitheater 

September 21
International Day of Peace

November 6
St. Augustine
Makers Fest


Hello SAPMS Families!

Whew! Glad we all survived the tropical storm. :) I hope you enjoyed the extra long weekend with your family. 

If you have not sent in money for pizza  Friday and would like to have a pizza lunch for your child, please send the $5 in first thing  Friday morning. We do not order extra pizza and will call home to have lunch brought in for any child without lunch or funds. Not all children participate in pizza  Friday, your child is not left out if you prefer not to take part. 

I'm hoping there has been some car line relief with Miss Charlene's class dropping off and picking up on Ballard. If you're in Miss Charlene's class and have more than one child attending our school, you may drop off at the primary location in front of our campus. 

By now each class should have received a note home as well as a calendar for the month for your class. If you have not, please check your child's folder and your email. You should also be hearing from your child's teacher to schedule a time for a brief conference on your child's adjustment to the community. If you are a returning family with the same teacher as last year, you will not get an update unless specifically requested. 

We still have 1 spot available for a Lower Elementary student. Thank you for all the "good news" you've been spreading around town about SAPMS. It really shows in our enrollment and future interest in our school. 

If your child uses aftercare- even as a drop in sometimes- please make certain you've filled out the proper paperwork. 

Please ensure your student is wearing play friendly clothing each day. Our Lower El students love to preform gymnastics and other great physical feats daily. All children should wear sneakers and girls should wear shorts under their dresses. 

Our gardening and Spanish classes will begin next week. These are led by our wonderful interns, I'm sure you'll be hearing all about them, Art with our loved Miss Heather will also begin this upcoming week. All resources will be on a weekly basis except for Art which will be every other week. Mr Frog will be returning in November to teach music. 

We have a library this year and would greatly appreciate any book donations you may have. When donating books please only donate those books which will be age appropriate for our students, grade 1-6. 

You'll be hearing from the Maker's Fest team this week on upcoming preparations for our largest fundraising event for the year. You also may be hearing from our teacher & family appreciation leader this week for upcoming gratitude happenings. 

Thank you as always for being an advocate for and strong support to your children and our school. 

Blessings!
Jamie

What is the International Day of Peace?
The International Day of Peace is observed around the world each year on September 21st. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution 36/37, the General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to"commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples."  Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace. SAPMS will be walking to the Fort from school at 9 am. We will be carrying pinwheels, flowers and banners created for this march. After arriving at the Fort we will enjoy music and a picnic lunch. Lower Elementary will be brought back to school by the Red Trolley after our picnic. All are welcome to join us in this day of peace.  


Passive Fundraisers
Here are some easy ways to donate money to SAPMS without going outside of your daily activities and money expenditures:

www.iGive.com and search for St. Augustine Public Montessori School, click on our name and complete the registration.

http://mightynest.com gives 15% of sales to SAPMS. Enter our zip code: 32084.

www.smile.amazon.com Saint Augustine Montessori Community Inc is listed as a benefactor. 0.5% of your purchase is donated to SAPMS.

With the Shoparoo app snap pictures of receipts to earn donations for SAPMS.

Box Tops - SAPMS earns 10 cents for each Box Top submitted. We have a box in the entry way of the office where you may drop the box tops or just send in with your child.

If you know of a passive fundraiser not listed here that would benefit our school please let us know!

Why don't Montessori teachers give grades?
Grades, like other external rewards, have little lasting effect on a child's efforts or achievements. The Montessori approach nurtures the motivation that comes from within, kindling the child's natural desire to learn. 

A self-motivated learner also learns to be self-sufficient, without needing reinforcement from outside. In the classroom, of course, the teacher is always available to provide students with guidance and support. 

Although most Montessori teachers don't assign grades, they closely observe each student's progress and readiness to advance to new lessons. Most schools hold family conferences a few times a year so parents may see their child's work and hear the teacher's assessment-and perhaps even their child's self-assessment.
St Augustine Makers Fest
We are excited to announce that we have a new location and date for the Makers Fest! 

The St. Augustine Makers Fest will now be held on Sunday, November 6th, 11 am-6 pm at the Mark Lance National Guard Armory, 190 San Marco Ave., St Augustine, FL 32084.

There is plenty of parking, indoor and outdoor space for all of our festival needs!

Come and take part in the planning of this event if you haven't signed up already.  We hope to get the entire community involved and it's a great way to get your service hours out of the way too. There is a lot to do in a short amount of time. So your help is greatly appreciated. 

We are in the process of getting our event teams together to discuss their various roles. We have many areas in which you can choose to get involved in. Below is a list of the teams. If you see an team that suits you or if you have a specific talent or idea in mind (as this is just a general list) or if you would prefer to just help on the day of the event, that's great too!
  • Vendor Team
  • PR Team
  • Sponsorship Team
  • Little Maker Craft Team
  • Kid's Activity Team
  • Silent Auction Team
  • Music Team
  • Handy Person Team
  • Volunteer Coordination Team
  • Parking Team
Please contact Jacquelyn at [email protected] to sign up or with any questions. Thank you in advance for help and support!

SAPMS Website
Have you checked out our new website?! staugustinemontessori.com

If not, visit staugustinemontessori.com today. Here you'll find our school calendar, how to contact your child's teacher by email, links to our parent only group Facebook page ( SAPMS Parents) and more. We will be adding more information, teacher pages and links throughout the year so please bookmark the site and check back often to stay up to date.