for parents...

Over the years I have been a Montessori teacher, I have had an opportunity to experience more than one parent orientation. The most beneficial are those taking place before the child begins to attend the pre-school. Therefore, you as parents or guardians will be the first to go through orientation! There are three very good references for parents to help them understand just what takes place in the Montessori environment: two copies of Montessori & Your Child, A Primer for Parents are available from our school’s Parent Resource Center. It is a quick read, therefore available on an overnight basis. The other materials are copies of The Normalized Child and What Is Montessori Preschool that provide you with a little background on the purpose of the materials you see on the shelves of a Montessori classroom. These books are given to you at time of registration and yours to keep. In August and again in September, just prior to the start of school, there will be a scheduled weekday evening where we adults [both of the parents and the teacher(s)] can get together. At these meetings you will have an opportunity to return the emergency information cards, to meet the parents of the other children and consider the “opportunities” listed on the parent-volunteer sheet. This evening will also be an opportunity to form highly recommended carpools

for children...

Whether this be your child’s first pre-school experience or just transferring to Medina Montessori as the new school, it is important that the transition be child centered on an individual basis. When your child is enrolled for the summer schedule, orientation for all new students is a major part of their summer curriculum. Should you enroll your child after mid-August, the first week of school in September will be reserved for orientation to new surroundings, a new adult, and to new peers in this young one’s life. The times allotted provide for a gradual introduction to a group environment that promotes nurturing the social and academic growth of the child for years to come.

Summer Schedule:

New Students:
On your child's 1st day:
1. your child will stay no less than one hour
2. plan to stay with your child for this entire time
3. please bring the items listed following this schedule:

On your child’s 2nd day:
1. your child will stay for a minimum of 1 ½ hours
2. plan to remain with your child for no more than 5 minutes
3. be sure to bring that backpack!

On your child’s 3rd day, your child will stay for the full class time.

Returning Students:
Normal arrival routine and class-length attendance

Fall, Winter Schedules:
The Orientation procedure is the same as written above.

Personal Essentials:

As children arrive on their 1st morning, they will receive their first lesson...changing into indoor shoes. They will choose a space on the shoe-rack and a ‘briefcase’ for holding all their daily work. They will be the ones to place their names on them. The following items will satisfy the need for an unforeseen change of clothing and for the personal grooming that will be a part of the curriculum known as Practical Life. Things to bring on the 1st day should include:
• a complete change of clothes including underwear and socks
• a spare sweater/wind breaker
• a hat with a visor
• a pair of soft-soled ‘indoor’ shoes
• a toothbrush in a hard plastic case
• a hairbrush or comb(in a small zip-lock bag)
• a small soft cuddly animal
• a small backpack(for treasures we find/make each day)
• Label everything!

A very important day of the week is sharing day. During the school year, our sharing day is Tuesday, and though it is sometimes very hard to do, please keep sharing items
1. related to our sound of the week
2. or as educational as possible (rather than commercial)
3. Size is important. A good rule of thumb is:
“If it’s too big for the sharing basket, it’s too big to bring to school.”

There are always exceptions to any rule, please feel free to check with me if your child has something really neat but also big---we will be able to make space available to store it after sharing is over.

Arrival and Departure. The arrival and departure schedule will be:

• 8:15: door opens
• 8:30 – 8:45: arrivals
• 12:15 -12:30: dismissals

Upon arrival with French greetings, each child prepares the self for a day at school. It is in this routine that the first practical life lessons are practiced. Outerwear and shoes are tidily put away, lunches are put in the proper place, hands are washed and that special occupation of the day is chosen. Depending on the child, these activities take about five to ten minutes. It is also during this time that a scheduled parent volunteer remains in the classroom to assist with opening the classroom and the snack preparation.

Entering and leaving the drive procedure is as follows :

• arrivals--- head in to the driveway on the far right side, at the large fern, begin a u-turn toward the top of the driveway as far as the rockscape. You should now be facing the street. Please wait in your car as the teacher or parent volunteer will walk your child down the driveway to the classroom.


• departures---A parent volunteer will help watch over the children playing in a group, from 11:50 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. through pick up...(on rainy days we will wait inside or on the benches under the roof eaves)


• please remain by your car while the teacher helps your child get their belongings together and walk safely to your car.


• For the sake of safety, all children must be holding the hand of an adult while walking on the driveway.

Early Arrivals and Late Departures (Overtime Rates):

• Medina Montessori is not open for arrivals before 8:15 a.m. Occasionally it is possible to admit a child shortly before these times. This must be done by appointment, made one day in advance. There will be no charge for this convenience for up to three (3) instances per school year. After that, or for ‘drop-in’ early arrivals, there will be a charge of $10 cash, payable upon arrival.
• Medina Montessori is not open after the doors close at 12:30 p.m. There is a fifteen minute grace period for departures, 12:15-12:30. Late departures are strongly discouraged. Parents or guardians arriving to pick up children after 12:30 p.m. will be charged $10.00 for each 5 minute block of time the child is left waiting. The charge is due in cash when arriving to pick up the child.

Within the last six years, Emergency Preparedness Teams of city, county, and state offices in the Pacific Northwest have revised the program guidelines designed for public/private schools and care centers. The current practice among such entities is to have enough supplies to cover three days of need for children and adults on a campus. Medina Montessori will adopt a modified version of these guidelines simply because Medina Montessori has a very limited enrollment and is not a full-time school or daycare facility.

In addition to items the school will supply for our preparedness kit, I will need the following items:

• your family's emergency contact long distance phone number, included on the Notice of Emergency Preparedness (Natural Disaster) Special Permission stating authorization to administer medication if needed during the first 12 hours following a natural disaster


• a one day supply of routine medication that you normally choose for your child for common ailments - head ache and diarrhea (trial/travel sizes are excellent for this) - and any that is required for sustained health (such as an inhaler)


• a small towel and washcloth and small container of liquid soap


• sun screen (a travel/trial size is adequate for this need)


• one change of underwear including socks, a pair of long pants, a sweater or wind-breaker, and a pair of rubber boots


• familiar soft small toy (please, no larger than a small beanie-baby!)


• a simply stated note addressed to your child (they love to receive and open mail), assuring your child that you will pick him/her up as soon as you can. Please include: In the meantime you are to stay close to 'Madame' until we get there.

Download "Emergency Preparedness" here (MS Word document)