Friday Folder
March 4, 2022
TEACHER WORK DAY-Friday March, 11
Eagle Peak DOES NOT have school Friday, March 11. This will be a teacher work day.
Thank you.
Peace, Passion, Purpose
"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." – Coretta Scott King
Notes from Michelle
Welcome to March.
Each week the students and staff gather on the blacktop area to have their Wednesday Gathering. This is a time of sharing quotes, and singing "Light a Candle for Peace." During our staff meeting yesterday afternoon, teachers reflected that sometimes this gathering is routine and something we just do. However, this week, listening to children sing a song of peace somehow meant more. It was a reminder of why we do what we do and why you chose to send your children to a school that believes in compassion and peace. While the adults may have been thinking about world events as they listened to the song, for our students often it is still an idea of being peaceful here together in our school community. It is that sense of taking care of each other and responsibility not just for ourselves but for the community that is a core part of our Montessori program.
Caring about our community and taking care of those most vulnerable within our community is one of the reasons we have been so cautious with our Covid-19 protocols. We do not have 100% of students vaccinated and we have several members of our community who are on campus every day who are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of the virus. While for some people it simply passes as the flu or a severe cold or perhaps they were fortunate to never have symptoms even if positive, for many people it can cause life-changing impacts. We are still at a place of caring for those who need that care within our school. We want everyone to be at school as often as possible and to remain as healthy as possible.
We are sure you have heard that the state has removed the mandate for masks in schools as of March 11. Today Amy Nelson and I attended the bi-weekly covid coordinators meeting with Contra Costa County. The medical expert on the meeting repeated that while the mandate might be lifted the county, state, and CDC are still STRONGLY RECOMMENDING that masks be worn. They are simply now leaving it up to the schools as to how mask rules will look in individual school districts.
Our classrooms do not operate like traditional classrooms. Our students are not at desks all day and they are within 3-6 feet of each other most of their time in the classroom. When other schools and districts discuss removing masks indoors, it would not impact their students in the same way it would impact Eagle Peak students.
As stated above, we must always take into consideration those students who have health impacts that could be far more serious for them if they contracted Covid-19. When we wear a mask it is to protect others, this is the case in protecting all of our students. If Eagle Peak were to change our mask requirement, this would require more students to quarantine in cases of Covid-19 exposure, which of course, means that more students would be at risk of contracting the virus as well.
As stated in Friday Folders throughout this year, we do not anticipate changes to this protocol this academic year, certainly not before the end of April. We have Spring Break in April and we know there will be travel. Over winter break when there was more socializing and travel, we had more than triple the amount of covid cases within those first two weeks back than we had the entire first semester. The only students who had to stay home during those cases were the students who tested positive and those who sat at the table during lunch with those students. If we were not masked, many other students would have needed to miss school for quarantine.
I hear from parents who want us to end wearing masks and I hear from parents who want us to keep with our plan and keep the masks. There is no way that everyone will agree on this protocol. We understand that. Some might suggest, that it should be a choice and that if some families want to wear a mask and others do not, that should be a choice. However, once again, wearing masks is mostly to protect others as well as ourselves.
Also, children are caught in the middle of this discussion, some would be wearing a mask and others would not. Imagine the conflicts that might arise or how some children might be made to feel based on those choices. When we all wear the masks and we understand that it is the way we protect our community, we also eliminate the potential for individual students to feel targeted based on their family choice about masking.
These decisions are multi-layered and have multiple consequences. The board, the staff, and I do not take this or any of our protocol lightly.
Thank you so much for your understanding and support for all of this.
Have a great weekend.
THIS WEEK AT EPMS
EAGLE PEAK MONTESSORI SCHOOL
No School - March 11, 2022
Elementary Gr 1-6: 8:30am-2:45pm (Gates open from 8:15- 8:30am and again from 2:45-3:00p)
Adolescent Program Gr 7 & 8: 8:30am-3:15pm
Wednesdays and other Early Dismissal Days- 1:40pm
INTENT TO RETURN FORMS
Wednesday Gathering
6th Grade Gathering Leaders: Kai Sonoda and Isabella Manansala
5th Grade Quotes – Respect
Mia Roba – “Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power.” – Clint Eastwood
Alli White – “Respect yourself and others will respect you.” – Confucious
Joshua Lee – “Respect for ourselves guides our morals. Respect for others guides our manners.” – Laurence Sterne
News from the Office
So many Reminders:
Friendly reminder - The only animals allowed on the EPMS campus are actual Service Animals.
Please see the article from the EPMS Board of Directors from September 2019 - The Eagle Peak Montessori Board of Directors voted on a board policy that impacts ability of families to bring pets of any kind, with them on campus. Unless the animal is a designated service animal, we can no longer allow the animal on campus. The “campus” includes the sidewalk between the fence and the office, the front sidewalk extending from the garbage dumpster all the way the entrance of the Castle Rock Fields. We do ask that if you have your pet with you, that you use the drop off/pick up drive through line for your children.
**Please share this information with all who come to the EPMS campus for pick up.**
If your child has been fully vaccinated, please provide a copy of the completed vaccination card to the office. The information will kept confidential.
When your child is SICK or TARDY, please remember to call (925-946-0994) or email (Admin@eaglepeakmontessori.org) the office. Thank you.
Covid Testing- Please note that we must receive the results of a Covid- 19 PCR test. We cannot accept the results of a rapid test. Thank you for your help with this.
**** VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ** PLEASE SEE THE CFEP SECTION BELOW ****
Spring Pictures are coming April 20, 2022
LOST AND FOUND
STUDENT WATER BOTTLES
TAX TIME!
Do you need tax documentation for CHILDCARE/2021 taxes??
Please email Ms. Amy (anelson@eaglepeakmontessori.org).
The subject line should be CHILDCARE/2021 taxes.
Please allow 4 business days for documentation.News from CFEP
Hello from CFEP!
SPRING SEE'S FUNDRAISER!
We have had such successful See's Candy fundraisers for the holidays and Valentine's Day, that we thought we would have one more this year for Spring/Easter sweets and treats! This sale will run until March 25th, and there are so many cute eggs and treats available! Not only that, but GIFT CARDS are available for you to buy for future purchases!! Every purchase sends 50% back to the school, and See's is a locally run business. If you share the link to your friends and family, they can order and it will benefit the school too. This is an AMAZING opportunity to support Eagle Peak!!
Follow this link to go directly to our store: https://rb.gy/sed2rl
Thank you for your support!
WHO'S READY TO "COME TOGETHER" FOR BINGO?
We wanted to give you an update on the CFEP plans for our brand new BINGO NIGHT event! We will be outdoors at the Shadelands Ranch Museum on Friday April 22nd, 2022 from 6-8pm, and our theme will be "Come Together for Eagle Peak"! We will have catered tacos, drinks, silent auction items, and of course.... BINGO! Tickets are available online for an early bird price of $40/person or $75/couple, and will include one bingo card, food, one drink ticket (two for the couple's price). After April 1st, the price will go up to $45/person - $85/couple. Please use the link https://www.cfep.us/product/2022-bingo-night/
This will all benefit Eagle Peak, and it's a great opportunity to reconnect with our Eagle Peak parent community. CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS! We can use help planning, gathering items for the silent auction, set up and break down! If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to Laura Desautels at laura@cfep.us OR attend our online meeting on Wednesday, February 16th at 7 pm via Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/apx-ogqm-zpy
Social Media Support!
Did you know that CFEP has social media pages??? We are ramping up our social media presence for both Eagle Peak and CFEP, so please make sure you like our pages and follow our posts. If you see one of our posts, please make sure you like, comment, or tag a fellow parent! These are all great ways to support the school and it costs NOTHING!!
Follow the links below to find our pages easily:
LOGO GEAR SALES STILL ON!
Thank you so much for your enthusiastic support of our logo gear sales! We will be still taking orders through the WEBSITE throughout the year, for pick up in the office. From now on, when you order, you will receive a date that you can pick up in the office when they are ready.
You can order anything, including our brand new VERY comfortable branded masks. We will be wearing masks on campus all the way through 2022, so it's a great way to support our school and stay safe on campus! Our branded masks have a metal nose bridge, a pocket for an optional filter, adjustable ear loops, and are machine washable (hang dry).
Mask Pricing
Kid mask: $8 each, 2 for $15
Adult mask: $12 each, 2 for $20
2 kid, 2 adult mask bundle: $30
If you have any questions, email Laura Desautels at laura@cfep.us or Megan Daoudi at megan@cfep.us. Thank you so much for your support!!
Volunteer Opportunities
PARKING LOT ASSISTANCE:
BIG THANK YOU TO THE DEDICATED GROUP OF PARKING LOT
VOLUNTEERS WHO HELP REGULATE THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC
AND KEEP OUR FAMILIES SAFE. HOWEVER, WE ARE STILL
IN NEED OF MORE HANDS AND HELP IN OUR SCHOOL’S
PARKING LOT. PLEASE CONSIDER SIGNING UP TO
TAKE JUST ONE SHIFT A WEEK. IT’S A QUICK AND
EASY WAY TO EARN THOSE MUCH-NEEDED VOLUNTEER
HOURS. IT’S ALSO A FUN WAY TO GET TO KNOW OUR EAGLE PEAK
FAMILIES. PLEASE CONTACT JEN SLATTENGREN
TO SIGN UP OR FOR MORE INFO.
jenslattengren@gmail.comJoin the Gratitude Group
Contact Jen Slattengren
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS for BINGO NIGHT!
We can use help planning, gathering items for the silent auction, set up and break down!! If you are interested in volunteering... Please reach out to Laura Desautels at laura@cfep.us.
Students Sent Home Sick
Don't forget about Box Top$ for Education!
Remember to gather your Box Tops for Education.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: Buy participating products and use the Box Tops mobile app to scan your store receipt within 14 days of purchase. The app identifies eligible products and automatically adds Box Tops to Eagle Peak's earnings online. Even if you’re shopping online or doing grocery pickup, you can still submit your e-receipts and earn Box Tops. Your earnings may seem small, but they really do add up. The more people that participate, the bigger the impact we can make. Learn more about how Box Tops works at BTFE.com.
Waste Free Wednesdays
Eagle Peak Montessori School
Email: Admin@Eaglepeakmontessori.org
Website: eaglepeakmontessori.org
Location: 800 Hutchinson Road, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Phone: (925)946-0994