The Mata Memo

Dear Mata family,

We hope this message finds you well. We also hope that you were able to stay safe and warm during the inclement weather days. We look forward to welcoming your children back to school on Monday, as we know you are excited about sending them!

Please read this memo in its entirety, as there are lots of things taking place in February!

Let's make it a great week!

Sincerely,

Tomeka Williams

Principal

District-Wide Calendar - Click Here

• Feb. 4th- Dallas ISD's STEM Expo

• Feb. 6th - 100th Day of School!

• Feb. 6th-10th- National School Counselor's Week

• Feb. 7th - Parent University 8:15 AM

• Feb. 9th - 4th Grade Parent Meeting (Austin Trip) 6:00 PM

• Feb. 14th - Valentine's Day and Sweetheart Read

• Feb. 14th - Middle School Field Trip

• Feb. 17th - 4th grade field trip to the capitol

• Feb. 17th- Community Coffee - Virtual

• Feb. 20th – President’s Day (No School)

• Feb. 25th – International Festival
  

February 6-10 is National School Counselors Week. The 2023 theme is School Counselors: Helping Students Dream Big.

Students can create a card, poster, poem, note, or letter for our Mata Counselors - Dr. Lopez and Mrs. Gunter. We appreciate them both so much!

Dallas ISD has partnered with T-Mobile to provide hotspots to support our students’ internet access at home. The hotspots will be activated under T-Mobile’s Education plan, which includes free mobile internet with content filtering. All content accessible via this hotspot will pass through a content filter that blocks access to any form of inappropriate content and is compliant with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

Please email matamontessori@dallasisd.org with your Child's name and grade level if you interested by February 9, 2023.

Who: Parents, friends, family members, or mentors to students.

What: Spend 15-20 minutes reading and doing an optional craft with students. Books will be provided, but feel free to bring any special book that you might like.

When: February 14th

(Exact Timing to be finalized)

Volunteer: At a station or as a reader

We would like ALL children to be able to particicate in this event, so please also consider joining us as a volunteer reader to be matched up with a child who does not have a partner to read with. Both English & Spanish readers are needed.

Dear Mata Parents,

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, we take time to once again consider how we celebrate holidays as a learning community.

Valentine’s Day is about friendship. It is about the love we share with those around us, teaching children to care about those around them, and a great way to see the creativity of the children. Part of our job as Montessori teachers is to hold fast and true to what is precious to children.

We realize holiday celebrations add to our lives:

1. Help us mark the passage of time and seasons

2. Winter holidays bring a sense of light and joyfulness to the long, dark winter months

3. Create a sense of community and a shared bond among groups of people

4. Provide an opportunity to study history, geography, and culture

5. Give us chances to experiment with different kinds of artwork and art projects

6. Help us honor special events and people in our lives

7. Encourage us to spend time with friends and family

In lieu of Valentine cards, gifts, or “goodie bags” we ask that Room Parents coordinate with the teacher some healthy alternatives that will connect to the planned instructional activities.

This month, we will host another community coffee via Zoom to discuss the topic below. We would like to invite you all out to chat with the principals and learn about upcoming updates.

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.

The 2023 Dallas ISD STEM EXPO is live at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on February 4 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Admission is free, but pre-registration is required to attend. Come explore more than 100 interactive exhibits and explore careers in STEM!

We hope to see you there!

Registration Link: https://bit.ly/STEMExpo23

Our PTA partners with us for an annual fundraiser. Check out some of the Auction Art in the making as created by our students.

This past weekend several of our 6th, 7th and 8th-grade students performed at Bryan Adams HS for the Dallas ISD Middle School and High School Orchestra Solo and Ensemble Evaluation. They each played in 2 events, a solo with piano accompaniment and in a small 6-7 member ensemble without a conductor. We are pleased and proud to announce that all musicians received one of the top two (of 5 possible) ratings, Superior or Excellent!!

For their solo performances, the following students received EXCELLENT

Ethan Gomez Funes , 6th grade – violin

Parker Whitney, 6th grade – violin

Milad Oropeza, 8th grade – violin

For their solo performances, the following students received SUPERIOR

Edith Woodward, 5th grade – harp

Fiona Cantu, 6th grade – violin

Katherinne Leyva, 6th grade – violin

Jason Garcia, 6th grade – cello

Nahom Malede, 6th grade - cello

Jayden Oliver, 7th grade – violin

Kaylee Resendiz, 7th grade – cello

Julian Rangel, 8th grade – violin

Julio Leyva, 8th grade – viola

Yamileth Hernandez Garcia, 8th grade cello

Both the 6th grade and 7th/8th grade ensembles received

SUPERIOR ratings!

The judge commented on how much she enjoyed hearing our students from Eduardo Mata Montessori. She was very impressed with the level of preparation and presentation as well as the students all dressing for success. Ms. Powers and the entire Mata team were and are so very proud of all who played on Saturday!

Ms. Scott's class celebrated Lunar New Year last week. They learned about traditional lion dancers and made our own masks for a parade walk to dismissal. The children also designed their own paper currency and made lai see envelopes. The envelopes were then filled with miniature copies of the bill their friends created!

Over 19 million students in 115 countries were part of the 2023 Great Kindness Challenge!!! What an AMAZING celebration of kindness it was! Mata Montessori participated, and our week was filled with an abundance of joy and inspiration. May the seeds of kindness continue to bloom all year round!

Because of our school's participation in The Great Kindness Challenge, we were honored to be acknowledged as a Kindness Certified School.

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.

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler with us at MATAGras!

3/4/23

7p-9:30pm

8500 Arturo Dr. Dallas

After several socially distant years due to covid, Mata PTA would like to invite you to join us in a FUNdraising night featuring a casual Crawfish boil, just down the road at the Fraternal Order of Eagles. In addition to dinner, we will have access to the FOE's indoor and outdoor space including a heated patio, cornhole, and fire pit. We also invite you to join us in our silent auction featuring Gifts of Time, Sign and go parties, student art, all benefiting our wonderful public Montessori school, Eduardo Mata.

Bring yourself as you are, and Let The Good Times ROLL!

• 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.

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/

Check out your PTA membership perks and if you’re not a member you can join online:

https://matamontessoripta.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/185

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.

• 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.
  

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