Hope you have been enjoying the summer with your children! As always, it goes by quickly, and I can't believe we are talking
about the start of the school year once again.
This summer the children kept up with taking care of the Monarch butterfly garden, and the first milkweed plant is thriving so we are hopeful in bringing back the Monarchs! Thank you Miss Mary Jo for jumping in with this project!
We will start right in with the regular morning, afternoon and kindergarten hours this year. Many new students attended the Orientation program this summer and are ready to go. If you feel your child may need a modified time schedule for the first day or so we can certainly accommodate them, as we want their first school experience to be a positive one.
What to bring on the first day?
Please send an extra change of clothes in a ziploc bag containing socks, pants, underwear, shirt etc. Please label all clothing. Your child will need a pair of slippers with soles (for fire drills) to keep at school to wear inside the classroom. Flip flops are not appropriate indoor shoes as they have no back to them.
They should be able to put them on themselves. Please no slippers that have character heads, superheroes, or lights on them. Simple is best! Here are some suggestions for indoor slippers and where to find them:
Acorn brand fleece slippers, Robeez (or their knockofffs from Target), Softstar Shoes (softstarshoes.com), L.L
Bean and Lands End have fleece pull-on slippers, stretchy isotoner ballet slippers (from JC Penny, Zappos, Amazon)
Montessorimovers.com- a little pricey at $28.00 but if we could make them our school slipper of choice, this would
be it! Nice sole, name label on back, easy to put on (designed by montessorians..of course!!!)
Footwear for the playground- Closed-toe shoes are required on the playground; no sandals or crocs, velcro sneakers are a great choice.
Staffing-
for those of you who are new to the Bedford Montessori family, Miss Mary Jo and I teach the morning downstairs class, Miss G (Miss Gayle also) and Miss Linda teach the upstairs preschool classes as well as the kindergarten program. Miss Mary Jo also teaches the three day afternoon program along with Miss Cindy. (Our bio's are on the school website).
Spanish -Mariana Gesualdi will be teaching all three Spanish classes on Wednesdays this year. Mariana is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has over 10 years of experience as a Spanish teacher, teaching Spanish to children in preschool, kindergarten and elementary school. Her classes emphasize listening and speaking skills through singing, movement and games.
Music -Judy Blood is very happy to once again be teaching music in the morning at the Bedford Montessori School. She
received her Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from UNH. She later earned a teaching certificate in
Orff Schulwerk from the University of Lowell and a Master of Education degree in Integrated Arts from Plymouth
State College.
Special Interests/Talents/Profession
Throughout the year many of you ask how you can participate in your child's day at school. We welcome volunteers
for special holiday craft projects, or if you have traveled somewhere, come in and tell us about it! For example, special
ethnic celebrations, family traditions, or to share about your profession.
Arrival- Please pull into the driveway and wait in line for a teacher to greet your child (children) at the car. No child
should be allowed to unbuckle his or her seat belt until the car comes to a complete stop and a teacher is there to
assist your child out of the car. This will help the children adapt to the routine as well as alleviate separation issues. If you are dropping off one child, we would greatly appreciate if you could put your child's car seat behind the passenger side. This makes it much easier for a teacher to get your child in and out of the car during arrival and dismissal. If your child is in the third row seat we will be asking you to pull up and take your child out and buckle them in at dismissal. At dismissal a teacher will come out to meet you at the car and we will have you buckle your child in.
It is extremely important for your child to arrive on time. They need time to settle in and to be a part of the beginning group activities. We have found in the past that children who are continually late have a hard time feeling a part of the group. It is equally important for your child to be picked up on time. We realize that unforeseen circumstances
can happen; if you believe that you will be late (more than 10 min.) please call the school so that we can relieve
any anxiety your child may have. It is also important that the teachers have this time for classroom preparation.
Alternate Pick Up- No child will be released to anyone who is not on your release form. If a circumstance arises that someone other than the person you have designated on your form is to pick up, we will need a note signed by you with the person's detailed information sent in (name, phone, make of car etc).
Snack Calendars-Miss G will be organizing the snack calendars again this year. You will be receiving a monthly calendar with a designated day for your child to bring in a snack and share with his/her classmates. Please keep in mind our "low sugar policy" in preparing healthy snacks with your child. A "snack basket" will be sent home the day before your child's
snack day along with a list of snack suggestions. Sometimes during a busy dismissal we may forget so please check
your snack calendar regularly. If you know in advance that your child will be absent on their snack day please contact
another parent to trade snack days. If your child is sick on his snack day please do not worry we have back up
snack. Homemade muffins, fresh fruit, cheese, yogurt etc. No processed foods.
Please do not send anything with nuts
at this time until further notice including lunch.
Please prepare the snack with your child at home by cutting up the cheese, fruit, breads ahead of time. Please send in large yogurt containers of yogurt as opposed to individual
cups (please no "go-gurt").
The children enjoy fruit so sending in fruit on your child's snack day is a welcomed choice,
along with one other item such as cheese, whole grain crackers, pretzels, etc. Most importantly, your child
should have input on what they want to bring in on their snack day! When it's your child's birthday you may send in
a special snack, cupcakes are fine (please no chocolate), strawberries, whipped cream and angel food cake is another
low sugar treat. Please send in a photo of each year of their life to share with their classmates. You will be receiving a form to fill out prior to their "birthday walk". (Child holds a glass earth and walks around the candle that represents the sun for each year of their life).
Lunches-Children who are staying for lunch at school, please keep in mind the "trash-less lunch" by sending all foods in re-useable containers and packing a cloth napkin and utensils. A pitcher of water is always available. A hot thermos can hold pasta, leftovers, soup
etc. for the colder days ahead. Sorry, we cannot heat up lunches.
International School Picnic-The annual school picnic will be held at the school on Saturday, September 23 from 11-1pm, weather permitting. Please bring lawn chairs or a blanket and your favorite ethnic dish to share. We will be signing up families at the cars after the first week of school. We love having families bring in their favorite ethnic dish to share. This a wonderful opportunity to connect with other families of the school. Siblings welcome.
Cell Phones/TV-We ask that you please refrain from talking on your cell phones when in the school driveway. Your child's
teacher may have messages at the car at arrival and dismissal. We would also like to ask that children not have
televisions on while driving into school or watch TV in the morning at home before beginning their day. The ride to
school is a wonderful opportunity for conversation and starting the day with TV puts kids in "the zone" as opposed to engaging with others.
Tuition-Tuition is due on the first of each month. We do not send out a monthly bill or a reminder other than the reminder on the monthly snack calendar. Tuition is considered late after five days and a late fee of $20.00 will be assessed. Also, due with the first tuition payment is the materials fee. If you could please write in the memo on the check what the amount is for i.e "September tuition, art and science program etc., it would be most helpful.
If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to leave a message at the school (627-9545) and the best number to reach you, and I will return your call. I do check my email several times a day-
For anyone who needs our tax ID number for tax purposes, it is
# 02-042-4145. Please remember to email me with any changes in address or phone numbers.
We hope you thoroughly enjoy the rest of the summer and we look forward to seeing you at the Open House!
You will be receiving weekly newsletters from your child's classroom.
Website- Please visit www.bedfordmontessori.com
for the current calendar, class lists (coming soon), tuition etc.
To login to the parent portal simply type in
montessoriparents
all one word no caps.
See you at the Open House!
Gail and Staff
