Athena Montessori Academy
October 2022 Newsletter
"One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child."
-Maria Montessori

Check out the Athena Parent Calendar and stay tuned to important school events!
You Rock, P6 Families!
Important October Dates
Tuesday, 4th:
Maha Navami
Yom Kippur begins
Wednesday, 5th:
Navaratri ends
Dusshra
Yom Kippur ends
Friday, 7th:
School Closed - Professional Learning Exchange Day
Mawlid begins
Saturday, 8th:
Mawlid ends
Sunday, 9th:
Sharad Purnima
Sukkot begins
Monday, 10th:
School Closed - Staff Development Day
Indigenous People's Day
Wednesday, 12th:
Karva Chauth begins
Thursday, 13th:
Individual Photo Day for T1, T2, & T3
Karva Chauth ends
Saturday, 15th:
Hoshanah Rabbah
Hispanic Heritage Month ends
Sunday, 16th:
Sukkot ends
Shemini Atzeret begins
Tuesday, 18th:
Individual Photo Day for P1, P2, & P3
Shemini Atzeret ends
Simchat Torah
Thursday, 20th:
Individual Photo Day for P4, P5, & P6
Sunday, 23rd:
Dhanteras - Diwali begins
Tuesday, 25th:
Individual Photo Make-up Days
Wednesday, 26th:
Bhai Dooj
Thursday, 27th:
Diwali ends
Sunday, 30th:
Chhath Puja
Monday, 31st:
Student Holiday - Parent Conferences (Sign up with Lead Guide)
All Hallow's Eve


How does Athena celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?
- Tots 2 and Tots After School learned about Jessica's country of origin, Ecuador. They studied a small globe, looked at the Ecuadorian flag, and learned about the different regions of Ecuador.
- Primary 1 and Primary 2 read "Off We Go to Mexico" and learned some Spanish phrases from the book during their Circle Time.
- Primary 4 has been talking about who Hispanic people are, where they are from, and what languages they speak. Using a map, they have been able to identify countries in North, Central, and South America. They are also having a special Circle Time to meet with someone who immigrated from South America.
- Primary 6 is reading about Peacekeeper activist Dolores Huerta and updated their classroom library with books that represent a variety of global Hispanic Stories.
Diwali
Diwali, or Dipawali, is India's biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians.
Over the centuries, Diwali has become a national festival that's also enjoyed by non-Hindu communities.
Please let your Lead Guide know if your family will be celebrating this holiday and you would like to share your traditions and culture with our community!
Life Ki-Do Parent Workshop: Less Reactions, More Connections with Jonathan Hewitt
Saturday, Oct. 15th, 2:30-4:30pm
3636 Bee Caves Road
West Lake Hills, TX
We all want to be great parents, but parenting can be very challenging! Come learn simple effective tools to address parenting challenges and help you stay calmer and more deeply connected with your kids. Please RSVP through the Life Ki-Do website:
October Birthdays!
Student Birthdays:
3rd: Charlotte O.
10th: Cooper S. & Ettalyn B.
11th: Adira B.
12th: Adler S.
13th: Leo L.
14th: Santi M.
15th: Cassidy P.
17th: James R. & Cami A.
18th: Marcos L.
25th: Pancho A. & Wyatt K.
27th: Teddy D.
Staff Birthdays:
2nd: Lisa Miele (P4 Lead Guide)
5th: Jazmin Castro (P6 Assistant Guide)
12th: Lisl Friday (Founder, Head of School)
And a special Happy Birthday to Mary Ann Torrence! October 25th
Organic Eats for Kids
Enrollment Notices
Current Athena Families:
Re-enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year will take place in December.
Enrollment of younger siblings of current students will follow in January.
Waiting Pool Families:
January Enrollment:
We will be reaching out to individual families as we learn of January openings. As a reminder, siblings of current students are given priority for enrollment, followed by the general waiting pool.
2023-2024 Enrollment:
Enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year will begin with re-enrollment of current students in December 2022. We will move on to enrolling siblings of current and alumni students in January 2023, followed by general waiting pool enrollment in February and March 2023.
Our continued goal in the admissions process is to be as transparent as possible, and we strive to give you the most accurate information we can during each step of the deliberate process of enrollment. We respect that decisions related to your child's education are important and timely ones, and we will continue to send you general enrollment updates via this monthly newsletter. Thank you for your continued interest, and we encourage you to reach out with specific questions related to your child's enrollment at any time.
Please direct admissions & enrollment questions to our Admissions Director, Joy Jacobson. You can email her directly at Admissions@AthenaMontessoriAcademy.com.

School Supplies
Locally-owned by an Athena family, Austin Baby Collection sells lunch bags, bento boxes, bibs, and placemats made from eco-friendly material, 100% food safe, and completely free of BPA, PVC and phthalates.
Time to order school supplies! Looking for natural, organic, and non-toxic products? MightyNest has a fantastic collection of backpacks, nap mats, lunch containers, water bottles, wet/dry bags, and much more!
Need labels? Oliver's Labels has labels for backpacks, shoes, clothes, lunch boxes, and water bottles! Click on the image above to purchase customized labels and Athena will receive 20% of your purchase!
For Small Hands carries a wide variety of items for children, all child-sized, fun and developmentally-appropriate! Use our code below, and Athena will get a percentage of the sale to apply towards materials for school. CODE 165595