Maryland Avenue Montessori School June 2013 Newsletter The end of the school year is upon us and I would like to thank all of the students, staff, families and community members for the outstanding work that you have done this year at Maryland Avenue Montessori School. The students continue to grow and achieve, and the community continues to strengthen due to positive collaboration. Please remember to support your child’s education over the summer by involving them in thoughtful activities at home and around Milwaukee. Integration of skills and learning into daily life is the best way to strengthen and enhance your child’s success in school and overall development. There are a few staffing changes for the fall. Nicole Fennig, current upper elementary teacher, will be moving to teach at the adolescent level along with Ms. Ashley Petry. We are looking forward to this team teaching approach for our Montessori Adolescent community. Jessica Doughty, a veteran MPS teacher new to Montessori, will be joining our community to teach upper elementary in room 25. Jessica Bahr, an experienced Montessori teacher in the elementary, adolescent and special education areas, will be the addition to our elementary / adolescent special education staff. Ms. Kari Wellhausen, lower elementary teacher in room 20, has decided to take a position at Fernwood Montessori School to teach upper elementary and will not be returning to Maryland in the fall. We thank Ms. Kari for her five years of dedicated service to the students at Maryland Montessori and wish her the best in her new endeavor. Ms. Bridget Cook, a new Montessori teacher who comes highly recommended from the AMI Hershey Montessori Training Institute, will be the new teacher in room 20. Ms. Cook will bring a wealth of talent and energy to our lower elementary staff. Ms. Brittany Bowes, Primary teacher in room 13, will be taking a child rearing leave next year to spend time with her new baby to be! We wish Ms. Brittany all the best with her family. We are currently interviewing for a Primary teacher replacement for room 13 and I will inform the school community when the new teacher has been confirmed. Please welcome our new staff when you meet them over the summer or in the fall. There will be no program changes at Maryland Montessori for next school year. The Maryland facility will continue to house K3 through grade 8. The district administration and school board has approved the construction of two modular classrooms for the 7th and 8th grade adolescent program for the fall. Plans have begun and work is scheduled to begin over the summer, with project completion tentatively scheduled for the end of August. I will work with the district to support this aggressive timeline while planning to use the current classroom spaces as necessary if the project continues into the beginning of the school year. These modular classrooms are a temporary solution to the space needs of the Maryland Montessori program. There is continuing discussion with district administration and school board members regarding Maryland’s long term space needs and possible Montessori East Side growth, in relation to the Cass Street facility. I will keep families updated as new information becomes available. Maryland Avenue Montessori will continue to have five Primary (K3-K5), four Lower Elementary (grades 1-3),and three Upper Elementary (grades 4-6) classrooms in the fall, while adding a second Adolescent (grades 7-8) classroom. Class sizes are projected to be around 30 students in the Primary and Lower Elementary, around 25 in the Upper Elementary, and around 20 in the Adolescent classrooms. I will continue to work with the district administration to attempt to secure extra funds in the fall to aid the teachers and students in the classrooms with extra staff support. If your plans have changed and your child(ren) will not be returning to Maryland Montessori in the fall, please notify the school office at 906-4800, or fill out a returning survey outside the school office, so enrollment can be verified before the fall. If you have an address change over the summer, you will need to call Parent Student Services at 475-8448 so transportation (bussing) will be set up from and to your home address. If you wish to have your child transported to or from a sitter or day-care at an address which is different than your home address, you will need to call Parent Student Services over the summer or call the school office at 906-4800 starting August 26th. The earlier any changes are made the better, since the beginning of the school year is very busy for MPS Transportation and the Maryland Montessori School office staff. The Prospect Street entrance will become the main entrance and the only “buzzer door” for the school in the fall. All students, family members and visitors will enter through the Prospect Street entrance (by the flag pole). Having the one main entrance nearest to the office supports a safe and secure school facility, while fully utilizing our recently updated Prospect Street entrance. Due to the new modular classrooms being located in the afternoon dismissal area, between the gym foyer doors and the parking lot, the afternoon dismissal area will also be at the main Prospect Street entrance in the fall. More specific details regarding afternoon dismissal routines will be communicated upon completion of the modular classrooms in the fall. Progress Report envelopes will be sent home on the last day of school, Wednesday, June 12. Progress reports, Student Promotion Reports (SPS), district MAP assessment reports, fall classroom assignments for transitioning students and supply wish lists will be contained in the envelope. Please be sure to review this envelope when your child comes home on the last day of school. If your child has any overdue library books or outstanding balances from the cafeteria or field trips, please be sure to return books or payments to school before the last day of school. Your support with these responsibilities will allow for the school to properly utilize its funds to directly support student education in the classrooms. I would again like to thank all of the families for their continued support of Maryland Avenue Montessori School. I have seen wonderful growth in all of the students and continue to be impressed with the motivation and dedication of the students, staff and families. I am honored to support you and your child in their Montessori education. Have a safe and fun summer full of wonder! Peace, Joe DiCarlo, Principal
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:09:14 +0000