The Mata Memo
December 15, 2020
Principal's Message
Dear Mata families,
With winter break on the horizon, it gives us an opportunity to reflect on the first 3 months of school. I can truly say I am proud our our Eduardo Mata Montessori School Community. It has taken a lot of work and effort to keep a shared sense of responsibility while educating our students at school and virtually. I'm proud that everyone is committed to the goal of educating our students no matter which method and in the best way given the circumstances. Thank you for all of your efforts to make sure Mata Montessori stays the special place that it is.
I do hope that this winter holiday provides you the opportunity to spend time with family and friends (even if it is virtually), and to have a truly restful, safe and enjoyable winter break.
Happy Holidays!
Please read the memo carefully for information regarding:
- Calendar at a Glance
- Mata Middle School Broadcast
- Silly Sweater Day
- Pajama Day
- Congratulations
- Winter Scholar Giveaway
- SEL Resources
- Stress Management Parent University
- Covid Updates
- Dallas ISD Support Flyers
- Mata's Virtual Career Day
- And much, much more!
We look forward to another great week of teaching and learning!
Tomeka Williams
Principal
Calendar at A Glance
- Dec. 16th: Mata's Virtual Science Fair
- Dec. 16th: Mata's Virtual Open House
- Dec. 21- Jan 1st - Winter Break
- Jan. 4th: Staff Development - Student Holiday
- Jan. 5th: Students return
- Jan 12th: Stress Management Virtual Parent University 12:00 PM
- Jan. 18th Martin L. King Jr. Holiday
- Jan. 29th Second Quarter Ends
In remembrance...
Today our hearts are heavy, as we learned a former member of the Mata Montessori family passed away. Dr. Olga Korobovskaya was a member of our team who proudly served our campus, and we offer our love and support to her family during this time.
Our school counselors, social workers, and psychologists will be available to speak with anyone who displays sadness and grief during the school day.
Please feel free to immediately contact us if we can be of service to you and/or your child during this difficult time.
Mata Middle School Broadcast
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FOntaC5WdV2etwBDI1yurw6l1Os_tX9K/view
Congratulations to this week's Math Olympiad Dimension U Winners!
Our Math Olympiad team participates in a Warm-Up competition each day. The student with the top score from each grade level will compete in January. Mata Montessori has two more winners this week! Annika Ruprecht and Carlos Olay are winners of the district competition this week! They will receive Amazon Gift Cards. Congratulations!
Spelling Bee Winners!
Congratulations to all of our Spelling Bee participants! Our winners are:
1st place - Charlotte Connell
2nd place - William Arnold
These two students will participate in the District Spelling Bee in January.
Winter Scholar Give Away
For the Life of You Foundation is once again holding a giveaway for our students. the flyer is below with the directions for participation, and the prizes that students can choose from if selected as a winner. Please encourage your 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th grade child to enter. It is a great opportunity to promote essay writing on this last week before the break. There will be one winner from 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades and two winners from 6th grades (5 total).
Students will write an essay entitled, "What effect has Covid-19 had on you as a student? What lessons have you learned?" They will then log into the site to submit their information and their essay on a Google form. (https://www.forthelifeofyou.org/winter-scholar-giveaway). Students may submit a Word document on the form or they may copy and paste their text into the text box. They may submit the essay in English or in Spanish. Only one entry per student is allowed.
If additional assistance is needed or if you have questions, please reach out to me or to Mrs. Gunter. The deadline is December 18th.
Social Emotional Learning Family Resources
We are so happy to share the following Social and Emotional Learning Family resources, materials and news to engage our campus families.
DECEMBER:
- SEL Parent Discussion Series: Session 2: Hopes & Dreams, Dec. 16, 4:30-5:30 pm (flyer attached)
- As part of the SEL Dallas partnership they've created a series of 1-hour family-focused virtual sessions to learn about social and emotional learning (SEL) and important SEL skills. Parents and caregivers are welcome to join any session, or the entire series and we will have a Spanish translator! Sign up here English/Spanish.
- Our SEL for Parents/Caregivers Website is now easier to find: www.dallasisd.org/selfamilies or www.dallasisd.org/asefamilias
- New resources are available on the website:
- Growth Mindset
- Our Amazing Brain
- Read Aloud Questions with SEL focus (MoveThisWorld)
- Newsletter archives
- SEL Family Engagement in the District
- Updated COVID-19 resources
Virtual Career Day- Please Sign Up!
Virtual Career Day at Mata Montessori-Dia de Trabajo Virtual en Mata Montessori
This school year career day will be done virtually. We are asking for your help! We know many parents, guardians, and community members have interesting professions and we would love for the students to know about them. We are asking volunteers to create short videos about their career/hobby, in order to inspire our scholars to be informed about career and community helpers.
Este ciclo escolar el día de trabajo será virtual. Estamos pidiendo su asistencia! Sabemos que muchos padres, y miembros de la comunidad tienen profesiones interesantes y queremos que nuestros estudiantes sepan sobre ellos. Estamos pidiendo a voluntarios crear videos cortos sobre sus trabajos, para inspirar a nuestros jóvenes e informar sobre las carreras y ayudantes de nuestra comunidad. Como muchos en nuestra comunidad hablan español nos encantaría ver videos en español también!
Example of a Career Video-Ejemplo de Video de Trabajo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZClQUZRJb4
Questions to Answer on Video Preguntas que Pueda Contestar en el Video
What is your educational background? (what training and degrees are required for your job) Cual es tu historia academica? (que entrenamientos o capacitaciones recibistes)
· Why did you select this field of study? What personal or academic traits led you to your career path? Porque seleccionastes tu carrera? Que intereses te atrajo a tu trabajo?
· What was the first job you had? Cuál fue tu primer trabajo que tuviste?
· What was your career path from then to now? ¿Qué trabajos tuviste desde cuando empezaste hasta ahora?
· What kind of adjacent career opportunities exist with your job? Que oficios son similares a tu trabajo?
· Who do you collaborate with? Con quienes trabajas?
· What’s a typical day like in your job today? Com se ve un dia en tu trabajo?
Videos can be uploaded via dropbox.com Los videos se pueden agregar a dropbox.com
Log in joselopez@dallasisd.org
Password Mata2020
Our goal is to have several videos for students to look at and be informed about real world experiences. Since this is a virtual event our goal si for students to have access to these videos by February. Nuestra meta es tener varios videos informativos para los estudiantes que les informa de experiencias en la comunidad. Como este es un evento virtual quisiéramos que los estudiantes tengan acceso a los videos empezando en Febrero.
Please turn in before February 1, 2021. Favor de entregar el video primero de febrero 2021.
The safety of our students and staff remains our first priority. Contact tracing occurs and if anyone is identified as close contact, they will be notified by the school and required to quarantine. To learn about the positive cases at Mata or in the district, you may visit the dashboard which is updated daily at 5 PM. COVID Dashboard Please see the most updated picture below.
We remain committed to following extensive safety protocols, which include social distancing in classrooms, hallways, offices, and elevators; masks are required for every staff member and student throughout the day; hand washing practices are regular parts of everyone’s day; thorough cleanings are scheduled, and contact tracing measures are in place and being followed.
Dallas ISD Support Services
Construction Update
Construction for Mata is still underway!
Check out some of the latest updates to construction!
Central courtyard seat walls and beds
Lower courtyard seat walls
Upper courtyard planting area
Sign up to receive the Dallas ISD Smart Restart Weekly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Dallas ISD weekly parents newsletter. It is available in Spanish and English!
Mata Montessori School's Vision and Mission
Vision Statement: To provide an academic foundation which allows our students to be successful life-long learners.
Mission Statement: To provide an authentic Montessori education by focusing on educating the whole child academically, socially, and emotionally for all children.
Mata Montessori School's Key Actions
- Maintain a climate and culture that fosters academic excellence.
- Improve quality of instruction and student achievement through an aligned Montessori curriculum.
- Actively engage parents in education in meaningful and relevant ways.
Eduardo Mata Montessori School
Email: matamontessori@dallasisd.org
Website: http://www.dallasisd.org/Page/2376
Location: 7420 La Vista Drive, Dallas, TX, United States
Phone: (972)749-7500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MataMontessori/?fref=ts
Twitter: @mata_school