Thank you to those who participated in our Health and Safety Committee Meetings last Friday. Many good ideas came from those meetings, which will be communicated at our upcoming Town Hall on Tuesday, October 15th. You can expect to learn more about a possible adjustment to our vaccination policy (of which we will be seeking parent input), the implementation of a new extraordinary measures policy in regards to preventable diseases, the implementation of a Parent Advisory Committee upon whom we can call for guidance in best health and safety practices, and updates about our accreditation process. Please watch for an evite with details and to RSVP for this event. Note that there will be child care available for this event and thank you for signing up in advance in the office for child care.
This year in light of a number of severe allergies in our school community, we are asking everyone to be mindful with the food items available for sale at the Market. Please read and discuss the following guidelines with your students. We sincerely appreciate your attention to this matter!
We are asking all customers to refrain from eating food items at the time of purchase. Parents are welcome to enjoy refreshments in the area designated for Coffee Thursday, while students should only eat these items at lunchtime or in their own classroom/s before lunch (at the discretion of their teachers).
All food items will have corresponding signs informing our customers as to their main ingredients. As a rule, any item individually wrapped should be assumed to contain dairy and/or eggs.
We do ask everyone to be vigilant in washing hands directly after eating to help combat cross contamination.
The honeymoon period for the new year may be wearing off and you may be finding that mornings are getting more and more tough. If you find that your children are significantly less enthusiastic about bouncing out of bed and preparing for school, you are not alone. That said, tardiness to school can have a wide range of negative outcomes for students. Below are some ideas for young children to help bypass the drama. Keep in mind that Montessori children are used to independence, to having a say, and to consistency.
Have 5 bins of the same color available for your child to plan their outfits for the week. On Sunday nights, create time for your child to put outfits together for the entire week. This allows your child the option to choose their clothes for the week, while also limiting the overwhelm of an entire closet or dresser full of clothes when morning time is limited. When my kids were young, each of them had their own colored bins and they were stacked in their rooms for the week. They chose the outfit from which ever bin they wanted each day. BONUS: this is a great way to give your child more involvement and interest in helping with the laundry.
Create a visual chart which shows all the tasks a child must complete in the mornings. Pictures of a toothbrush, breakfast, lunch box, backpack, etc. can help a child feel more independent. BONUS: laminate your chart and let your child use a wipe-off marker to cross off items as they are completed.
When you are about 5 minutes from having to walk out the door, play a song and remind your child that when the song ends, it’s time to leave the house. BONUS: next favorite song? In the car!
Montessori children are used to routine and predictability. Make sure everything has a place and that time for each task is figured in to your child’s routine. BONUS: backpacks, lunchboxes, shoes, etc. are placed in this space upon returning from school each day.
Consider having a visual list of items your child needs to have to walk out the door placed right at the door. Ie; backpack, lunch box, blankets, etc. BONUS: create your own list so everyone’s walking out the door prepared. And, are there any things on the list that you and your child can do together? Think brushing teeth, packing lunches, or putting on shoes.
Prep as many things as possible the night before. Pack lunches, give baths, etc. BONUS: visual charts with appropriate food items help children pack their lunches independently, a great task for kids while you prep or clean up from dinner.
Give your child some uninterrupted one-on-one time before leaving the house. Take some deep breaths together, snuggle, listen to you favorite songs or do some other activity together. BONUS: if this time is set aside for after they’ve accomplished all other tasks, it can be a motivator. However, don’t use it as a consequence for not moving quickly enough. Make this time sacred and consider that some times or some kids might need this sacred time in order to feel motivated to get going. Do what works best for your child.
In the car, talk about what happens when we get to school. Ms. So- and -so will be there to take your temperature and then we will have a hug, kiss and high five, and then I will leave.) BONUS: Keep this routine consistent but, if your child has ideas for adjusting it that are manageable, allow them to weigh in. Most people are more motivated by a plan or routine they’ve helped develop.
Show your child that timeliness is important to you and it will become more important to them. BONUS: peaceful mornings with a moment to breathe before you move onto the next part of your day!
Adopt-a-Native Elder Program – Allows us to reach out to one another, share our gifts, and mend the broken circle of our relationship with the Land and the Native Americans who hold it in sacred trust.
MEF Growth & Education – Continuing to grow the Montessori Educational Foundation nonprofit though grassroots Montessori advocacy and support
Make a bigger impact by
Helping your child to set a goal to raise a certain amount.
Helping your child tell family and friends about the Fun Run. You would be surprised how many friends, neighbors and grandparents are eager to support such a worthwhile cause.
Helping your child actively participate. (For example, earning money by doing extra chores at home. Then, in turn donating to this charitable event.)
Attending the event and join with them as they run or cheer them on from the sidelines.
Volunteering to help at the event. Please email psa@mcsslc.com for details.
Our goal this year is to raise at least $7,000 total, with 80% family participation. Help us beat exceed our previous goal.
We look forward to this exciting Service Learning experience and hope all of our families will participate with enthusiasm.
“We discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being.”
– Maria Montessori
Our Emergency Preparedness Committee would like to invite interested parents to join in creating action plans around the items listed below. We would be happy to share our preliminary plans of action with you; if interested please contact Britney or Brandi. We will be hosting committee meetings during the following times:
September 20 @ 3:00pm: Educating the Community on Best Practices for Health & Safety Measures (contact brandiallen@mcsslc.com)
If you are unable to attend these meetings and are interested in being part of the committee or have contributions for this discussion, please contact Britney, Brandi or Margaret. A Town Hall where we will apprise the community of work to date is scheduled for Tuesday, October 15 at 6:00pm (childcare provided). More info to come.
Questions are one of the most powerful teachers in existence. How else do we really know where someone else is coming from? And how can we possibly meet them where they are at without that information? Asking questions gives kids a chance to think critically, use their language, and reason and decide. It’s in the presence of their trusted adults they will do the most learning. Might as well use a method that involves them! Enjoy reading about how to use questions to help a child work through a mistake or problem.
Speech, language, and hearing screenings will be taking place Wednesday, September 18th. Let’s Talk Speech will be coming in to implement those screenings.
If your student is a kindergartener, they can be screened for free as long as the proper form (above) is filled out and turned into the office by the morning of the 18th.
If you would like your student screened and they are NOT a kindergartener, it will be $20 for a speech and language screening. Note that hearing screenings will be held on a different day.
Dear Parents,
Foothill Montessori of Salt Lake will be holding speech and language screenings on Wednesday, September 18th. All Kindergarteners will have the opportunity to participate in the screenings. If your child is in another grade and you have concerns, please fill out the bottom portion of this letter. The screenings will be a general, brief measure of your child’s speech and language skills in order to determine if further speech and language evaluations are needed. Screenings are appropriate for students of all ages.
The speech and language screenings will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. After the completion of the screening, Let’s Talk will identify if there are concerns regarding your child’s speech and language skills. A note will be sent home with your child regarding the results of the screening assessments and if further assessment is warranted.
You might consider having your child’s speech and language screened if your child shows one or more of the following:
● Has had chronic ear infections.
● You and others have a hard time understanding your child’s speech
● Speech is less intelligible than their peers
● Does not combine 2-5 words in their speech
● You suspect your child may have a fluency disorder: stuttering
● Has difficulty asking and answering “wh” questions
● Becomes easily frustrated when trying to tell you something
● Has a difficult time learning and using new concepts and vocabulary
Please return your payment and the bottom portion of this letter to Foothill Montessori of Salt Lake by the morning of September 18th. Checks can be made payable to Let’s Talk Speech and Language Services. Please call or email with any questions regarding the screenings.
Deon Mock, M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech and Language Pathologist
Let’s Talk Speech and Language Services, LLC
One of the key tenets for the Toddler department at FMSL is to foster independence. There are many ways that we help guide our students through their exploration and discovery of their environment. Toddlers love to learn by doing even when it does not look as clean and concise as we might like it to. This article from Psychology Today speaks to the idea of letting our toddlers help in a variety of ways to grow their sense of independence.
Foothill Montessori of Salt Lake’s current policy on immunizations states that we must have up-to-date immunization records or a completed and signed Utah Department of Health exemption (for medical, religious or personal reasons) on file before each child’s first day of attendance.
It is the intention of FMSL to require a student who has claimed an exemption to all vaccines or to one vaccine to stay home from school if there is good cause to believe that:
The student has a vaccine preventable disease,
Has been exposed to a vaccine-preventable disease,
Or will be exposed to a vaccine-preventable disease as a result of school attendance.
An excluded student may not attend school until the local health officer is satisfied that a student is no longer at risk of contracting or transmitting a vaccine-preventable disease.
Our records for this academic year indicate that we currently have less than 1% of our total enrollment with a status of exempt. Families with a student in a classroom that has an exempted student will be contacted directly. We recognize that this information is important to all in our community. We encourage you to reach out to us should you have questions or concerns. We also encourage you to speak to your doctor for advice should you have reason to take extra precautions for loved ones.
Please note that our policy on immunization is currently under review. In addition, we are working toward organizing committees to (1) review best practices in regards to limiting the spread of infectious diseases in the school setting and (2) establish opportunities for the education of our staff and families regarding important health and safety measures. A town hall forum is being planned for early October to appraise our community of the work-to-date in these matters as well as allow our stakeholders an opportunity to give input. Should you wish to be involved in either of these committees, or weigh in on the review of the policy, please contact Robyn, Brandi or Britney directly. We would be happy to share our preliminary plans of action with you and include you in the planning and scheduling of the committees.
