The Mata Memo
January 24, 2023
Principal's Message
Dear Mata family,
It is exciting to see so many of our caregivers meeting with teachers for parent conferences this week. Thank you for partnering with us for your child in order to help them grow and close their gaps. We are a campus & community that wants the BEST for our students, and together, we help make their learning experiences BETTER!
There is so much going on this week at Mata! Please read the memo in its entirety, and especially pay special attention to my correspondence about Community Coffee.
As always, we appreciate you, and we appreciate you choosing Mata Montessori!
Let's make it a great week!
Sincerely,
Tomeka Williams
Principal
Calendar at A Glance
District-Wide Calendar - Click Here
- Jan. 26th- 1st Grade Performance "The Mitten"
- Jan. 27th- Community Coffee with the Principals
- Jan. 27th- Woodrow Boys Basketball - Elementary Night
- Jan. 30th- PTA Special Meeting 6:00 PM
- Jan. 31st - Middle School Subcommittee Meeting 5:30 PM
Jan. 31st- Deadline to Apply to Mata and Choice Schools
Jan. 31st - 100th Day of School!
Feb. 4th- Dallas ISD's STEM EXPO
Community Coffee - Topic Upper Elementary and Middle School
This meeting will focus on sharing information about next year's Montessori configuration.
Upon the return of the semester, and the beginning of the new year, student achievement, retention, and recruitment were a topic of conversation for our school and many of the other Montessori schools in Dallas ISD. The questions asked were how can we best support our 4th-8th grade students and also keep Mata as their #1 choice for public Montessori. Ultimately, we came to evaluate our current model for sixth graders. Harry Stone has had their 6th grade into middle school for several years, and other Montessori schools in Dallas ISD will be making this transition next year.
For our community, this would mean having Montessori classes for fourth and fifth graders only, and then separate classes for sixth graders, taught by existing upper elementary teachers. They would also have the opportunity to take middle school electives, like 6th graders in other middle schools. We view this as allowing sixth graders to gradually transition into middle school.
There are benefits to this model, including
All sixth graders take honor courses and will have departmentalized teachers focusing on their subject
Enable us to have a larger, more competitive pool of applicants to choose from, ensuring that Mata maintains its high academic standards and performance.
More elective opportunities for 6th grade
More time to develop maturity growth in the middle school environment.
Better preparation for honor-level classes in 7th & 8th that will better position the students to apply to magnet high schools
Buffer for 6th-grade students to transition into middle school
More ability for 6th grade to bond and socialize among their peer group before transitioning to middle school
After evaluating the pros and cons of these options with our teachers and our SBDM, it's hard not to see the benefits of this new model, and we believe we should make this change.
We will also discuss how we could serve our students in 7th and 8th grade while continuing to stand on Montessori Principles and highlight our school's strengths.
I would like to invite you all out to hear more about this proposal, as well as hear your thoughts, ideas, and concerns.
If you would like to ask any questions to be addressed at the meeting, please feel free to send them to matamontessori@dallasisd.org.
Attention 1st Grade Parents
Some of our 1st-grade music classes have prepared a special performance of “The Mitten” for you and we would like to invite you to come to watch your child perform on Thursday, January 26, 2023. This performance will take place in Mrs. Vallejo’s music room (Room 124). You will need to bring an ID and check in at the main office before coming to the music classroom. Our performance will begin at the following times:
1:30 - 1st graders in Ms. Cruz, Ms. Ochoa, and Ms. Singleton’s classes
2:20 - 1st graders in Ms. Manske and Ms. Osborne’s classes
*PLEASE NOTE - only the classes listed above will be performing.
Students do not need to wear anything specific, but if they are playing an animal part, they know what colors they are allowed to wear if they choose to wear something other than their school uniform.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Vallejo
Middle School Parents and Families
Also, the SBDM Middle School Subcommittee will be meeting on Jan. 31st - Please join us!
SBDM Middle School Subcommittee
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/9877976345?pwd=N3R0UStxWWhwQnpvSWFpYjhnUlA3QT09
Meeting ID: 987 797 6345
Passcode: 6dURVC
From the Counselor's Office: Middle School Girls Group
Parents,
February we will begin a group for Middle School girls entitled “Effective Communication Skills for Healthy Relationships”. This group is designed to develop or improve our girls' communication skills for healthy relationships in school and in the community. We will meet once a week for 30 minutes.
If you are interested in your student attending this group, please email me with the student's name and grade.
Thank you,
Sheila Gunter, MA
Counselor
Mata Montessori
972 749-7508
Friendly Office Reminders
- Always bring an ID to the office for all student pick-ups.
- Cut off time for early student pick up is 2:30 PM.
- Parents must complete VOLY every school year in order to volunteer at our campus.
- No cupcakes or snacks high in sugar are permitted for Celebration of Life. Please bring healthy snacks the whole class can enjoy.
- No fast-food deliveries for students.
- Doors for students to enter the building every morning open at 7:30 AM.
- School starts at 8:00 AM and tardies are distributed after this time.
- If a student arrives after 8:20 AM this counts as a partial absence (T99).
- Always submit an excuse note anytime your student is absent.
- Please have your student adhere to the uniform policy.
P.A.L.S. CLASS HOPE CLOTHING DRIVE
Have you noticed that there is always really cold weather in Dallas during the month of February?
Well, the P.A.L.S. (Peer Assisted Learning Strategies) class in Middle School and the counseling office have decided that we want to do something about it!
HOPE is the name of the clothing drive that the P.A.L.S. class has started this month. Our goal is to collect as many hats, scarves, gloves, coats and blankets as we can for the homeless here in Dallas. We want to put together hygiene kits too, so we are collecting toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and deodorant. Drop off your donations in the main office. PLEASE help us help the homeless before it gets REALLY cold. This clothing drive will end on January 30, 2023.
PTA Special Meeting Via Zoom
This meeting is for a budget amendemnt proposal by our middle school committee.
You must be a member to vote.
https://txpta.secure.force.com/JoinPTA/
Please register if you plan on attending
Mtg ID: 894 8449 8793
PW: MATAPTA
Register/Registrarse: shorturl.at/bjtE8
Dallas ISD STEM Expo!
We hope to see you there!
Registration Link: https://bit.ly/STEMExpo23
Donor's Choose! - Clean and Beautiful Cafeteria was Funded
Thank you so much for giving to this project created by Ms. Odell. This week it was funded!
Learn more about the project here:
Our public Montessori school strives to give students the independence needed for real life. I love how the students at Mata Montessori want to keep their environment clean, including the cafeteria! They will love the addition of extra cleaning supplies.
What's Happening Around Mata Montessori?
MATA STUDENTS MEETS LEGALLY BLONDE CAST!
What is Growth Mindset?
Simply put, this mindset means that you believe in your ability to become better through hard work, and help from others. Here are eight ways to develop a growth mindset.
We are Now Accepting Applications for Mata!
We are now accepting applications for new Mata students for the 2022-2023 school year. Parents can apply from November 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023 on choose.dallasisd.org. If you already have a student at our campus and would like to apply for a sibling, you must also submit an application. Please note, sibling entry is not guaranteed. Feel free to reach out to the front office with any questions at 972-749-7500.
Estamos aceptando aplicaciones para nuevos estudiantes a Mata para el año escolar 2022-2023. Los padres pueden meter una aplicacion desde el 1 de noviembre de 2022 hasta el 31 de enero de 2023 en choose.dallasisd.org. Si ya tiene un estudiante actual en Mata y desea aplicar para un hermano(a) también debe meter una aplicacion. La entrada de hermano(a)s no es garantizada. Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con la oficina principal al 972-749-7500.
Are you ready to party? WE NEED YOU!
PTA is calling all of our awesome Mata parents to host either an adult party, a kid party or a family party! Spots to the parties will be sold at our auction at the end of February, and all proceeds will go back to the school!
Here’s the scoop: The cost of the party is covered by you, the host, as a donation, and is tax-deductible. You set the time, location, and number of guests.
Here are some examples: superhero party, bowling party, dinner party, theme costume party, bounce house party, game night party, etc. Get creative, and have fun with it!
If you’re interested, or want more information, please email details to mariacdesimone@yahoo.com.
Save the Date
A Mata Social Event benefiting Mata Montessori
After a taking a socially-distant couple of years off due to Covid we are back hosting a fun evening out together fundraising for our students and school!
More info coming soon, but some things to look forward to:
provided childcare, teacher gifts of time, sign up parties, goodies to bid on, delicious menu, fun with our community!
if you'd like to be a part of the planning,
email pta@matamontessori.com or text 214-250-4957.
Keep each other Safe! Help Teach our Children.
Buy your spirit wear from the Eagle Wagon!
Spirit wear may be worn with jeans on Fridays
Thank you for your patience while we organize our current on hand inventory.
For new shirts, more colors, expanded sizing and embroidered options plus delivery to your home see our PTA’s online fundraising store https://matamontessori.itemorder.com/shop/home/
Join PTA!
Check out your PTA membership perks and if you’re not a member you can join online:
Action for Happiness Calendar
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: @montessorimata