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News from Ms. Bonnie (November 2010)

I am so happy to report that APS and Montessori of the Rio Grande have closed the purchase agreement with Leon and Marie Fuemmeler!!!!  (See Chris Kenny’s report on the website).  This is very great news as it now means that MRGC is in a public facility, ahead of the 2015 deadline.  I want to thank everyone who has been involved in this transaction and a special thank you to Chris Kenny, our Council President, and Lawrence Rael, our Council Vice President, for their untiring commitment to see this deal through to the end.  Now the next phase of the work begins....getting the funding to build our new facility.  You will be receiving information in the near future of how you can support the bond vote in February and any charter legislation in January.  I will be asking for everyone’s help, so be ready!

MRGC is experiencing the H1N1 flu in the same pattern as the rest of the state and country.  We are currently on the down side, with less than 11% of absenteeism the past two weeks, but continue to be vigilant in sending students home if they have a fever. Remember, your child has to have been fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medicine, before returning to school.  I want to thank all of you for being so quick in picking your child up when called and keeping them home until they are fever free.  I believe if we continue to respond to the flu in this manner we can keep the spread to a minimum.  Don’t forget, wash hands frequently, cover cough and sneezes, and keep your hands off your face. View decision chart abou the flu.

Thank you to all the parents for taking the time for classroom observations.  We believe this a very meaningful experience for you and your child.  All classrooms have begun the Teacher/Parent/Student conferences.  These conferences are mandatory as it is the first quarter information about your child’s academic and social progress.  Being a team for your child’s educational program does make a difference.  Talk with your child about a new program of Read to the Dogs, which will begin at our school very soon.  A special letter will be sent home, students are very excited.

Teachers have been reporting to me that too many of their students continue to arrive late for school.  This creates an interruption and students miss important information for beginning their instructional day.  We have opened our classrooms at 8:15 which allows students to talk with their friends and get ready for their day.  Therefore, we expect ALL students to be on time, which to us means ready to work at 8:30, not walking through the door at or after 8:30.  This is a very important work habit, so if you need to leave your house earlier please do.  Notices for tardies will begin to go home.  

Just a Few Reminders:

  • Parent parking is on the north side of the parking lot, thank you. Please drive in the south driveway and exit the north driveway.  So far our drop-off and pick-up have been working great.
  • Medicine must have a prescription and an authorization form needs to be filled out before we give it to the student.
  • MRGC’s parent organization, TAPAS, holds it’s meetings on the first Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m.  Please join us, childcare is provided at no cost.
  • The Collaborative Governance Council meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 4:00 pm. This is an open meeting and guest are always welcome.
  • The Friends of Montessori, the 501C3 Foundation, posts their meeting times on the web and are always looking for new families to become involved.(Next meeting is Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 am at the school, free child care provided)
  • Remember, check out our website, www.mrgcharter.org, frequently as our Instructional Coach, Miss Debbie, is always updating information about our Montessori program.  Don’t forget to read your child’s classroom newsletter.
  • Before and Aftercare payments are to be paid at the beginning of the month/week, please put your child’s name on the check.

H1N1 Alert

From Ms. Bonnie

Dear Families of MRGC Students:

As we strive to keep families informed of the spread of the H1N1 and all other illness, we want you to know we had our first confirmed case of Type A Influenza, most likely H1N1. In addition we have a total of 34 students or 19% absent on the first day after fall break, most families calling to say their child has had a fever during the fall break and continues to show signs of flu-like symptoms. 

We are handling this flu season with a heightened awareness of how serious the spread of this virus can be. So remember:

  • if your child has a fever they are to be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medicine before returning to school
  • if your child becomes ill while at school and has a temperature of over 99, we will call you immediately and isolate your child until you come pick him or her up.

We ask that you come as quickly as possible and that you and your family have developed a plan of how to keep your child safe at home until they can come back to school, usually 5-7 days. The most important prevention we have against the spread of H1N1 is keeping sick children and faculty away from the school until they are fever free. We will help your child get back on track with school work upon his or her return.

On behalf of all families, we expect all of us to be diligent in checking each day to ensure that no one come to school with a fever we ash hands often, and cover all coughs and sneezes. Thank you for your attention to this important health matter.

more info: www.flu.gov  

November 2009 Newsletter (pdf)

September 2009 - Dragonfly Newsletter School Year 2009/2010 (pdf) 

December 2008 - Dragonfly Newsletter School year 2008/2009 (pdf)

November 2008 - Second Dragonfly Newsletter School year 2008/2009 (opens up pdf file)

 October 2008 - First Dragonfly Newsletter School year 2008/2009

News from Ms Bonnie

What a Great Beginning!

This has been the most amazing beginning of a school year since opening MRGC.  Everyone worked as a team to be ready for all of our students.  We hope the new “look” has brightened all of our spirits.

Teachers met for two weeks before your students started, discussing how we plan to support all students’ academic, physical, and social needs.  In addition, they spent many hours organizing and structuring the rooms in true Montessori fashion.

Miss Debbie has developed a Montessori training room which allows for her to continue to support teachers in their Montessori practice.  She has also been instrumental in developing parent training materials and scheduling times for parents to learn more about MRGC and Montessori methodology. 

In our lower and upper elementary classrooms, we have two lead Montessori teachers, which allows for the individualized learning required in the Montessori classroom. We have also added another kindergarten classroom which supports our goal of having 33 students at each grade level by 2012 for a total of 198 students.

Walls Came a Tumbling!

In order to make all classes equitable in size for the new year, we had to take down some walls.A big thank you goes out to Tim Thompson and Ray Konzen (Philicia’s dad and grandpa).  We are so grateful to your time and energy that you gave to MRGC. 

Now we have a beautiful 6-9 room and a large space for fitness and aftercare.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We also send a special thank you to Becky Sanchez and her son, Braxton Thorton for coming in over the summer and transforming the boys’ bathroom to a beautiful blue.  They also helped paint the blue walls in Braxton’s class. 

September 4th: Parent Education Night

Did you ever think we could have so many families on our deck?  We hope that you were able to gain a greater understanding of what we are striving to accomplish at MRGC.  The major focus of the meeting was to share with all families the tremendous amount of work going on behind the scene in creating an exemplary Montessori school.  And as a charter school we need every family involved in some aspect of the school.

Parents that were unable to attend met with Miss Debbie and me to review our goals and to explain the importance of families being engaged in the education of our students.  All together, 95% of our families attended the meetings!  The best turn out ever!

Change is in the Air

There are many growing pains that take place in any organization as we work together to meet our vision of becoming an exemplary Montessori school.  Miss Debbie provides the educational guidance focused on creating an authentic Montessori program.

With support from Bretta Weiss-Wolf (our expert in Montessori on the Council) we are developing an educational learning community which is fully grounded in the Montessori philosophy.  As such we will make some changes to our previous practices.  Two of those changes are International Day and Mission to Mars for the fifth graders.

Opportunities for cultural celebrations and studies will now take place through out the school year and not on one day of celebration as in previous years.

There is a lesson given in a Montessori Elementary classroom that is called The Fundamental Needs of Humans.  Which uses a chart that is the foundation for the History Curriculum as well as the launching pad for many cultural studies.  The Chart lists both physical (clothing, food, housing, transportation and defense), and spiritual needs (vanity, culture, art, religion). Children are engaged in discussion that is based upon these needs.

At Montessori of the Rio Grande Charter School, we feel that an exemplary Montessori program provides opportunities for cultural studies and celebrations throughout the child’s school year.  It is not set for one specific day, but rather is generated from meaningful and purposeful queries from the classroom discussions.  As children continue with asking questions and wanting to know the “why” (according to Maria Montessori’s Planes of Development) we carefully guide them to resources to answer these.

We look forward to many of these moments at our school this year.  “International studies continue during the elementary years, integrating art, music, dance, drama, cooking, geography, literature, and science.”  Tim Seldin and Paul Epstein PhD. The Montessori Way.  Alert your sense of sight, smell, and hearing!!  Share with the teachers any cultural experiences from your own family or from trips taken or books read.  Remember that our curriculum is inter-connected and that we use many different lessons to appreciate the many peoples, customs, and cultures of our world!

After four years of sending our student to Mars, the faculty, Miss Debbie, and I, have agreed that the amount of time required by both teachers and students is not an activity that is beneficial in relation to the amount of time required to complete the mission.  Therefore we will no longer participate in Mission to Mars as a total school.  If there are any parents in our community who are interested in sponsoring a Mission to Mars Club after school or on Saturday, I will be more than happy to support this endeavor.  If interested stop by my office and we can provide the necessary details.   

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

  • Closed toed shoes for safety please.
  • No electronic or other games, cell phones, ipods, etc.
  • Put names on lunch boxes, outer wear, etc.
  • Sign-in the office if you are visiting during the school day. 

Thank you very much!

FRIENDS OF THE MONTESSORI FOUNDATION UPDATE

Thank you to Don Dudley, who has been giving of his time to create the dream school that was presented at the Sept. 4th. meeting.  Many, many thanks to all who have donated to the capital campaign.  The members of the board; Rudy Herrera, David Garcia, Erin Adams, Betsy Robinson, and Nikky Hoffman,all parents, have been working diligently behind the scenes to support MRGC.

Don’t forget to join us for the BIG adult gala event, Bollywood on November 15th.  Silent Auction, great conversations, and fun!   For more information go to our web site, http://www.mrgcharter.org/bollywood

News from Ms. Viviana on Before and After Care click here

UPCOMING EVENTS

Oct. 1

We go PAPERLESS

Oct. 3

Balloon Launch 

Oct. 13-17

Classroom Observations

Oct. 16

Middle School Night  6-7pm 

VISITORS 

APS Superintendent Brooks,  members of the Board of Education, and Community Leaders took a tour of MRGC on Sept. 16th.  Lisa Newell and Sarah Wilkinson, council members, along with Miss Debbie and Ms. Bonnie spoke with the visitors about our amazing school.   

 

 

The new sign for our school

It is with great appreciation and gratitude that we thank the Moran Family from SignArt  for their contribution our beautiful new sign.  Now we can keep families informed of school events.  On behalf of our learning community, Thank you. 

 

     
     
     

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