MMA Montessori Moments
August 18, 2018
A Message from Director, René Baker
It's finally here!
The 2018-19 school year is finally here and already off to an exciting start! Thank you all who attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. The addition is beautiful and we were happy to show it off. We can't wait to see students in their new space.
Thank you for attending our annual Back to School Pool Party at North Shore. It was uplifting to see all of your 600-some smiling faces and to be greeted with such big (and wet) hugs.
Welcome to all of those families new to MMA! You're going to love it here and we can't wait to get to know you better.
Your teachers have been hard at work preparing their classrooms for your return and they are ready! We can't wait to see you all this week!
Go Teachers!
Back to School Schedule
The front doors open to students at 8:15am and students are expected to be in class and ready to learn by 8:30am. Junior High students should enter through the double doors of the addition. The Junior High door will lock promptly at 8:30am, which means any Junior High student entering the building after that will need to enter through the main building and be marked as tardy in the front office.
Checking Students Out
If you need to change your "release" permissions that state who your child is allowed to leave with or change your contact information, you can update that yourself online after you get an Aspire account by following the directions on our website.
Carpool
If you are headed northbound when exiting the school, please follow the red route on the MMA Traffic Trifold and remind your students to stand in the red area for pick-up. If you are headed southbound, please follow the blue route on the MMA Traffic Trifold. City officials want to prevent traffic from turning north (left) at Taco Time.
We will have crossing guards at critical points to protect student safety and expect drivers to be hyper vigilant as well. Please refrain from using your cell phone during carpool. Please follow the crossing guards' direction and always pull forward.
Drop Off
For next week’s (and all) drop-off procedures and as part of building independence in all our children, please refrain from walking your child into the building. Next week all 1st through 6th grade teachers will be out front holding a sign with their name where children will gather. The week after, beginning August 27th, early childhood teachers will be holding signs and will guide our youngest students into the building. Early childhood teachers will also escort their students out to drop off.
Stay In the Know
Follow MMA's official Facebook page and subscribe to MMA’s Main Blog in addition to subscribing to your child(ren)’s Teacher Blogs – accessible by clicking the “website” link under the teacher’s picture. You can also follow us on Twitter @MMAofUT.
School supply lists are posted on each teacher’s blog.
Sneak a Peek
You are invited to our Sneak A Peek event on Monday, August 20th from 1:30-3:30pm. On the half hour, beginning at 1:30pm, then again at 2pm, 2:30pm, and 3pm - each teacher and assistant will greet families, give an overview of the classroom and expectations. There will be time for families to ask questions and meet each other.
Ms. Lana and Ms. René will be in the library for you to meet the administrators from 1:30-3:30pm - please stop by to say hi.
There is no RSVP; just show up at a time that is most convenient for you. With four time slots, families with multiple children attending MMA have time to visit all their teachers. Please be on time and honor the half hour time frames to allow everyone an opportunity to visit.
Track it Forward & Volunteering
Please sign up asap on Track it Forward. After you sign up, you will be approved for the group and will get an email indicating as such. After this, get online and click on the upcoming events page. If the main calendar is too overwhelming, click on "filter by category" and only check those teachers you would like to view. I suggest also checking "school wide" events so you don't miss anything.
Track it Forward is where you will sign up for your turn to bring snack to the classroom and where early childhood families sign up for a KEEP assessment time slot.
Elementary Class Lists
Class lists took longer than expected to compose in Aspire, which meant that teachers could not email you all directly any earlier than they did. Please accept my apologies.
Please check out the teachers' blogs for school supply lists. If you have not heard from us regarding which class your students is in, please email info@mariamontessoriacademy.org or call the office at 801-827-0150.
Junior High Schedules & Fees
Parents can log onto Aspire using these directions to view their students' class schedules and the link now works. Junior High students will be provided a hard copy of their class schedules during the first week of school.
The Junior High School supply list can be found on the Junior High blog. Class-specific supplies are listed on each teacher's blogs, accessible by clicking "website" under each teacher's name on the faculty page of our website.
School Spirit Gear
Student Dress Code
There are no changes to the school’s Dress Code Policy, Dress Code Guidelines, or Dress Code Samples. School spirit t-shirts and other accessories are able for purchase. Remember that school spirit t-shirts that say MMA are appropriate to wear and meet the dress code policy.
In the past it has been acceptable and considered school spirit to wear a t-shirt from an MMA sponsored field trip, like JA Biztown, the Redwoods or Crow Canyon. Moving into next school year for consistency and clarity, we ask that students only wear these special trip shirts (that do not say MMA) within a week of their attending the trip. Since these shirts signify a milestone, we ask that siblings not wear these shirts until they, too, have experienced these trips and wear the shirt within a week of them having the experience.
We want to both celebrate our students' experiences on these unique MMA field trips and also be consistent with our dress code policy and how that is communicated to students and their families.
Hoodies may only be worn as outerwear outside of the school and should have a school spirit t-shirt or collared shirt underneath. Students will be asked to remove their hoodies and other outerwear while inside the building. Students have time in the morning and during scheduled transitions to put these items in their lockers and still be on time for class.
Junior high students no longer have to walk outside to get to all of their classes. This means that there are no excuses for why hoodies need to be worn during the school day.
Playground Update
It doesn't look like the new playground will be ready for us on Tuesday; but, that will give us plenty of time to explore our huge, new play field.
5K and Pancake Breakfast
There are many ways to get involved and opportunities vary in terms of time and effort commitment. Examples include: participating in the race, assisting in race set-up, assisting in race breakdown, and obtaining race sponsors/swag.
The more successful we make the 5K and Pancake Breakfast fundraiser, the less little fundraisers we will have to host overall and I think we can all agree that is a good thing. All fundraisers benefit the experiential field trips enjoyed by ALL students at MMA.
Join MAPA on Facebook
The Montessori Academy Parent Association (MAPA) is the Parent-Teacher Organization for Maria Montessori Academy. This organization is used to facilitate communication and involvement between parents and teachers. MAPA is currently seeking volunteers who are interested in joining this organization to ensure that the needs of Maria Montessori Academy’s student body are being fulfilled.
Maria Montessori Academy
Email: info@mariamontessoriacademy.org
Website: www.mariamontessoriacademy.org
Location: 2505 N 200 E, North Ogden, UT, United States
Phone: 801.827.0150
Facebook: facebook.com/MMAofUT
Twitter: @MMAofUT