MMA Montessori Moments
July 26th, 2019
We Can't Wait to See You!
Welcome to the 2019-20 school year! I hope that everyone got a chance to rest, love, and learn this summer. I was able to rest in the ocean, love the family I visited, love my babies and husband, and learn that I can do hard physical things like a Spartan obstacle race (with my team) and sprint triathlon. I learned that we have an amazing, inclusive, supportive, and loving community of teachers, students, and families.
Thank you for committing to MMA and to each other. Please continue to support each other by welcoming new families and reintroducing yourselves to returning families. Thank you for supporting MMA through volunteering and by spreading positive words about us throughout the community. I am grateful to serve such dedicated families and to be surrounded by an excellent team of professional, intelligent, passionate, and caring individuals.
Some of those individuals include Ms. Lana (Assistant Director), Ms. Nicoletta (Instructional Coach), and Ms. Dana (Special Education Coordinator). These ladies are dedicated team members and have given up time with their families in the summer to be in Washington, DC with me right now engaged in Montessori leadership work with the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector.
Thank you for entrusting your children with us. As always, please contact me with your questions, concerns, and comments. I look forward to working with each of you this school year. See you soon!
-René
Director
More Staffing Updates
In special education:
- Ms. Esperanza has been promoted from MMA teaching assistant to being a full-time special education case manager.
In lower elementary:
- Ms. Pat is is stepping up this year to be the lead teacher where she worked as an assistant last school year. Please click on her name to read her letter to families.
In upper elementary:
- Ms. Angela comes to us from Idaho to be closer to family and completed her student teaching in a 5th grade classroom.
- Ms. Sara grew up in this area and is coming back home after several years of teaching in Arizona and Taiwan.
- Ms. Vanessa comes to us from Utah State University and completing her student teaching.
In junior high:
- Ms. Dore is a founding family, former MAPA president, and former MMA board member. She has been working with secondary students for the past few years and will be our junior high English language arts teacher.
- Mr. Giuseppe will be teaching science in junior high and comes to us after serving as a family care coordinator.
We also have several lovely teaching assistants joining our ranks and you will get to meet them very soon. We still have a few positions open for teaching assistants, so please spread the word and encourage any awesome people to email their resume to Ms. René or Ms. Lana to set up an interview.
Never hesitate to reach out to our Assistant Director, Ms. Lana, or myself if you have questions about staffing. Please remember that legally and ethically we cannot discuss why someone is no longer working at MMA. We encourage you to ask teachers directly if you have these types of questions.
Supply Lists (New Teachers)
Click on the links below to access each new teacher's supply list.
Lower Elementary
Ms. ShaunaUpper Elementary
All other teacher supply lists can be access through the teachers' blogs.
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. This door will lock promptly at 8:30am, which means any student entering the building after that time will need to enter through the main building and be marked as tardy in the front office.
Scroll to the very bottom to see all of the other upcoming events!
Sneak a Peek & Back to School Night
You are invited to our Sneak A Peek Back to School event on Friday, August 9th from 3-6pm. On the half hour, beginning at 3:00pm, then again at 3:30pm, 4:00pm, 4:30pm, 5pm, and 5:30pm - each teacher and assistant will greet families, give an overview of the classroom and expectations. There will also be time for families to ask questions and meet each other.
Ms. Lana and Ms. René will be in the commons area for a brief presentation at 4pm and again at 5:30pm.
There is no RSVP; just show up at a time that is most convenient for you. With several 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.
Office Hours and Closure
The MMA building will be closed on Monday, August 5th as the entire faculty and staff will be engaged in professional learning off-site. During this time, you can leave a message when you call school at 801-827-0150 or email info@mariamontessoriacademy.org and we'll get back to you. We appreciate your understanding and support of our professional growth.
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.
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. Better yet, let's encourage students to not bring these tempting items into the building at all.
FLASH SALE: $49.95! Offer ends July 31st!
This course is designed to help parents turn their homes into peaceful havens rather than battlefields. Based on years of working with children of all ages, Lorna provides by cultivating closeness, cooperation, and communication.
Learn how to stop squabbles, resolve conflicts peacefully, encourage each person to do their personal best, reduce power struggles, meet children’s emotional needs, and create strong parenting partnerships.
Along with issues raised by parents participating in this course, we will address the following issues:
- having time to breathe
- cooperation
- raising confident children
- feeling part of a family community
- communicating with honesty and respect
- enjoying your time together as a family
- learning how to work out solutions without creating excessive family drama
- creating a home environment that is is filled with peace, understanding, and harmony
Topics
Week I – Parenting for the Long Haul
Week II – Why Do They Do What They Do?
Week III – What to Do When You Want to Trade Them In!
Week IV – If We Can’t Punish or Reward, What?
Week V – Parenting on the Same Page
Participant Bonuses
- Downloadable resources (checklists, worksheets, PDF guides, etc.)
- Access to a private group with other students
- Direct email access
- Weekly live webinars
- Course completion certification
Normal Cost:
$150 Non-member
$125 for Members of the Montessori Family Alliance
FLASH SALE: $49.95
Offer ends July 31, 2019
Use Code flash-pp at checkout
A Note from MMA, Pediatricians, and UT Dept of Health
We value the health and safety of your children. As a state-licensed education program, we support and must adhere to state immunization requirements for all children enrolled in our program to ensure their health and safety. It is critical for children attending school to receive all recommended vaccines to protect themselves and the other children in our program who are too young to be fully immunized.
Why immunizations are so important for children in educational settings
- Children younger than five years of age are especially at risk for getting infections because their immune systems have not yet built up the defenses to fight infection. Immunizations help children build up these defenses.
Rules and recommendations
- Utah requires your school to have written proof of each child’s vaccines. A parent may get an exemption for their child to not be vaccinated. Your school must also have written proof (a legally valid exemption form) for all exemptions.
- Disease outbreaks sometimes occur in schools. If there is even one case of a vaccine-preventable disease at your child’s school, children for which the school does not have written proof of the child’s up-to-date status will be excluded from school until the child is vaccinated or risk of the disease has passed (sometimes up to 21 days).
Vaccine safety and effectiveness
- All vaccines undergo long and careful review.
- Vaccines do not cause autism. Many independent studies have convincingly shown that there is no link between autism and vaccines.
- No vaccine, or any medication or treatment, is completely risk-free. Common side effects (tenderness and redness) are mild, but serious side effects (such as allergic reactions) are very rare.
- When parents choose not to vaccinate their child, they are trading the small risk of side effects from the vaccine for the risk of getting a vaccine-preventable disease. Vaccines keep disease away; when we stop giving them, diseases that can be prevented by vaccines return.
- While some diseases, like measles are not common in Utah, they are only a plane ride away.
More information
- Free or low-cost vaccines are available for those who qualify through the Utah Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program (http://immunize-utah.org/VFC_program/parents).
- For more information on vaccines and the diseases they prevent, contact your healthcare provider or the Utah Immunization Program at 1-800-275-0659 or visit http://immunize-utah.org.
August
9---Sneak-a-peek/Back-to-School Night 3:00-6:00pm
12---First day of School (1st-9th); Early Release
13-16---Professional Development; Early Release
19---First day of Kindergarten & Early Childhood
31---Maria Montessori’s 150th Birthday
September
2---Labor Day; No School
5---Parent Education Night 5:30-7:00pm
6---MAPA Meeting @ 8:45am in the MMA conference room
12---Redwoods Parent and Student Information Night 5:30-6:30pm
17---Classic Skating Spirit Night 5:00pm-8:30pm
21---International Day of Peace
23---Normalization Ends; Classroom observations are open
27---Professional Development; Early Release
Quick Links
Track It Forward - school events calendar and volunteer sign-ups
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