by Ann Clark, Head of School

Dear Parents,

We hope that your family and friends have remained healthy as we adjust to the many changes in daily life due to COVID-19. During the early weeks of the pandemic, the VMS community quickly rose to the challenge of adapting to our new distance learning program to provide as much continuity as possible for our students.

The pandemic has impacted all of us. For many, it has brought economic hardship. I’ve spoken with VMS families who have experienced layoffs, job losses, and businesses that are significantly impacted by forced closure. We offered additional tuition assistance dollars in April; however, some families have expressed concerns about uncertainty and their ability to afford the tuition for the coming school year.  I have also spoken with other VMS families who have not been financially impacted by the pandemic, but deeply recognize these challenges within our community and want to help.

I am writing today with a call to action, because maintaining our community connection is cornerstone to our VMS values. We are committed to doing all we can to support the needs of our families and keep our current students enrolled as part of our VMS community. This means raising additional dollars to support tuition assistance in order to offer more for our families experiencing economic hardship, and providing additional technology infrastructure to support our expanding distance learning program and beyond. 

We understand many families are simply not in a position to make charitable gifts at this time. If you are among those who are able to help, then join me and the Board of Trustees in making a contribution to our VMS Community Impact Fund in support of our families and the children we serve. Together we can inspire hope and keep our community strong and connected.

With Gratitude,
Ann

"We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe, and connected with each other to form one whole unity."
- Maria Montessori
Enjoy this video of our student community learning at home!
Summer Camp & Essential Worker Childcare Program
We have reviewed the results of the Essential Worker Survey to assess the needs of our VMS community. In addition, we are using information from the CDC as well as state licensing requirements to develop protocols for re-opening the VMS campus on June 15, 2020 for an Essential Worker Childcare Program.

Important Information:
  • In order to accommodate the new protocols, the programs and schedules will change which requires us to cancel the existing summer camp registrations.
  • If you are enrolled in VMS Summer Camp, you will receive a cancellation notice from the Camp Brain registration site by the end of this week.
  • Next week, new program protocols will be emailed to VMS families. Please read carefully prior to registration.
  • Wednesday, May 20, at 7:00am a registration link will be emailed inviting families of essential workers to register for the new Essential Worker Childcare Program that starts June 15, 2020.
  • Space will be limited and priority registration will be given to essential workers with students returning this fall.
  • If government restrictions are eased and there is still space in the program, we will open to the balance of the community.

Switching to this new format requires careful thought and consideration. As always, the health and safety of our students, families and staff will be paramount as we establish this plan.

Thank you for your patience as we work through these details.
Did you miss Grandparents Day & Art Show photos?
We celebrated our VMS Grandparents last week with lots of photos. If you missed them, they are still available to access on the homepage of our VMS Website .
#VMSDistanceLearning
Have photos to share of your student learning at home? Send them to news@valleymontessorischool.com . Then follow us on Facebook to see all the latest photos from VMS!
Valley Montessori School
1273 N Livermore Ave Livermore CA 94551