Mrs. Katie Pearson, Teacher

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Mrs. Katie Pearson, Teacher B.A., B. Ed. Directress St. Nicholas Montessori Teaching Certificate Red Cross First Aid Level 3 Childcare

Mrs. Rita Summers, Teacher Montessori Teaching Certificate NAMTC, Vancouver, BC Red Cross First Aid Level 1 Childcare

Mrs. Carol Kohlman, Teacher Montessori Teaching Certificate NAMTC, Vancouver, BC Red Cross First Aid Level 1 Childcare

Mrs. Melody Metcalfe, Teacher B. Ed. NAMTC Montessori Certificate St. John Ambulance First Aid Level 3 Childcare

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Maria Montessori School offers a carefully planned, stimulating environment for learning. The learning materials used are designed to provide a wide variety of experiences geared to the developmental needs of children. For the young child, handling, manipulating and working with these materials proves to be fascinating and absorbing. For the older child, the materials provide the method and framework for exploring the Universe and our relationships with it. When engaged in these well-structured tasks, the child experiences a deep inner satisfaction, which leaves him/her with a positive attitude and an excellent foundation for creative learning. The specific goals for a child who attends are:

Rm 13/14, Sweet Grass School, 11351-31 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta T6J 4T6 T: 780-435-6701 (School) 780-431-0660 (Home) E: [email protected] To nurture self-confidence, independence, and self-discipline.

To create a healthy self-concept.

To fully develop within a child a love of learning without the need to compete.

To build the power and habit of concentration.

To foster inner security and a sense of order.

To train sensory motor skills.

To encourage grace, courtesy and respect for others.

To sharpen the ability to discriminate, judge and make choices.

To promote an abiding curiosity.

To develop habits of initiative and persistence.

To promote a problem solving approach to learning and the ability to recognize patterns.

To instill an appreciation of nature and an ability to observe the Universe with all of the senses.

To support creative intelligence and imagination.

HOURS OF OPERATION

Our program is a five-day a week program which runs from Monday to Friday, September to June. Regular school holidays such as Christmas, Spring Break and Statutory holidays are observed. The morning class begins at 9:00 a.m. and the children are dismissed at 11:30 a.m. The afternoon class begins at 1:00 p.m. and dismissal is at 3:30 p.m.

Summer holidays begin the third week of June. It is very important that you be on time to pick up your child from school. Firstly, because it instils a sense of security and well being in the child, and secondly, we ate only licensed to have children in our room for 2 1/2 hours at a time. Parents who are consistently late at pick up time will be reminded of our hours, and thereafter will be charged $1.00 per minute they are late on a daily basis.

You may pay the fees in full by cheque, dated for the 1st of September, or you may choose to present the school with 10 post-dated cheques for dated for the first of each month from September, through to June,. If you should wish to withdraw your child from our program at any time, you are welcome to do so with one full month's notice, and your remaining fees will be returned to you. If, however, you withdraw after May 1st, remaining fees will be forfeit. As the fee is annual and our costs for the year are fixed, it is necessary that we operate with a full class. Students who withdraw so late in the year cannot easily be replaced, so we ask you to keep this in mind when planning early vacations.

Rm 13/14, Sweet Grass School, 11351-31 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta T6J 4T6 T: 780-435-6701 (School) 780-431-0660 (Home) E: [email protected] As we do not take professional development days during the year, we break for summer holidays the third week of June.

PARKING

Please do not park in the school parking lot when dropping off or picking up your child. Parking is plentiful on the street, with easy access to our door.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

A completed application form is required for all children attending Maria Montessori School. Parents are also required to inform the school in writing of any changes in address, phone number, or emergency phone numbers. Please let us know of any medical conditions, medications, or treatment your child is receiving. We want to be as sensitive as possible to any adjustments your child may be experiencing.

For the health and consideration of all the children and staff, any child who is not well and is unable to participate in activities is advised to remain at home. Parents will be contacted to collect a child who has become unwell at school. Sick children will be kept quiet and comfortable on our carpet area under the direct supervision of a staff member until a parent arrives.

We do not administer short-term medication. If your child cannot be without medication for 2 1/2 hours, then likely, he/she should not be at school. If, however, your child is in need of long term medication such as an inhaler or other allergy related medicine, please notify us of this need and fill out the appropriate authorization form to enable us to administer that medication. The school is equipped with a first aid kit and all staff has first aid training.

An incident/accident report will be filled out any time a child is left with a mark or a trauma. Any emergency evacuation, program closure due to an emergency, or any emergency situation involving a child will be reported to our licensing officer within two working days.

Child to staff ratios will always be met. For the 3-5 age groups, this ratio is 12 to 1.

SNACKS

Please send a small snack to school in a labelled lunch bag which you child can keep in his/her cubbie. We serve snack to the children mid-way through our program, and ensure that hands are washed and that the children are seated and directly supervised.

NOTICES

A monthly newsletter will be sent home to inform parents of upcoming events and activities. Please check beside the classroom door for any notices that may not have been in the newsletter.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Rm 13/14, Sweet Grass School, 11351-31 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta T6J 4T6 T: 780-435-6701 (School) 780-431-0660 (Home) E: [email protected] From time to time, we will have opportunities for parents to come into the classroom for educational sessions. Please feel free to speak to us if you have any particular questions about your child or the program, or if you would appreciate a certain area being discussed at a parent night. We also invite parent observations in the classroom. Parent observations will begin around November by which time your child will be feeling comfortable in the classroom. Closer to that time, we will remind you of this opportunity to observe our class and you can make an appointment to do so, and to discuss your child's progress at the same time.

RELIGIOUS OR SOCIAL CONCERNS

Please let us know if there might be any concerns or suggestions in this regard. We welcome the celebrations of the world and would be delighted to accommodate these celebrations in our classroom. We are a multicultural class and would like to take advantage of each child's heritage.

DISCIPLINE

We follow the Montessori method of helping the child to develop his or her own sense of self-discipline, within given parameters of order and respect. The general limitations of the classroom require respect for others and the environment. Specific requirements are:

 No physical aggression.

 To take materials only from the shelf (not from other children).

 To work with only those materials which have been presented to them.

 To handle the materials carefully and quietly.

 Not to interfere with the concentration or the work of another child.

 To work together co-operatively in small or whole class groups.

 To return materials to their proper location after use.

 To take good care of the classroom environment.

 To be kind and considerate to all.

1) As soon as the school year begins, we have frequent discussions about the types of behaviour, which are acceptable in the classroom, and the types which are not. Freedom in the classroom is extended to the child as he or she displays an ability to be self-disciplined.

2) If a child finds it difficult to treat a classmate, the materials, or the teacher with respect, we would initially remind the child of the rules of good behaviour and request an indication of understanding.

Rm 13/14, Sweet Grass School, 11351-31 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta T6J 4T6 T: 780-435-6701 (School) 780-431-0660 (Home) E: [email protected] 3) Should a child continue to find it difficult to show respect, we would, again, discuss the issues.

4) Upon a third incident, we would ask the child to kindly remove him or herself from the group by taking a chair off to the side. After no longer than 3 or 4 minutes, the child is asked if he or she is ready to return to the group. At no time is a child ever isolated, degraded, or belittled. The term “time-out” is not used in our classroom. We simply change the child’s situation or setting to encourage self control.

5) If this procedure does not work on a long-term basis, we will discuss the problem with the parents and work out a plan together.

Please note that we do not feel it is appropriate to notify you every time we must speak to your child in a disciplinary manner. We will only come to you if we do not see any progress, or if your child seems unduly upset by the incident. It is not our wish to become "tattle-tellers". If, however, a child has become upset, or has been marked or traumatized by another child, an incident report will be filled out by the witnessing teacher and will be signed by the parent. Any disciplinary action taken will be reasonable in the circumstances.

ADDITIONAL CLOTHES

Please have a complete set of additional clothes in a plastic bag, clearly labelled with your child's name, which will be stored inside the classroom on their hook. Little emergencies can sometimes happen!

BIRTHDAYS

We would be delighted to celebrate you child's birthday at school, and you are welcome to bring a special treat for the children. Cakes and cupcakes do, however, cause clean-up nightmares, so we would like to suggest that you bring cookies, squares, or fruit kebabs on these occasions.

FIELD TRIPS

From time to time, we like to work a field trip into our program. Sometimes the field trip does have a cost and this cost will be passed along to you. Transportation to and from the field trip location will usually be your responsibility, unless the location is a fair distance away, in which case we will provide a bus. We also try to make the field trip available to any parents who would like to join us. Regular school hours are cancelled on field trip days. If you have any suggestions for field trips, please let us know so that we can investigate and determine if it would be appropriate for our group.

SCHOOL CLOSURE

Rm 13/14, Sweet Grass School, 11351-31 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta T6J 4T6 T: 780-435-6701 (School) 780-431-0660 (Home) E: [email protected] Should school closure be advised due to health hazard, each family will be notified by phone. Should this occur, fees will not be returned, but every effort will be made to make up days missed.

STAR OF THE DAY

On a rotation basis, the children take turns being the "Star of the Day". The "Star" for the next day will have his or her name posted outside the classroom door. This person will be responsible for such classroom jobs as feeding any animals we may have (fish, guinea pig), setting the snack table, changing the calendar, etc. The "Star" may also bring something from home for show and tell, and a storybook for the teacher to read to the class at story time. Please keep in mind that we do not condone violence of any kind, so please help your child to be choosy about the items he/she brings to school. Items and books related to the real world or the theme we may be discussing are more than welcome, as well as the child's personal treasures.

STAFFING

The staff at Maria Montessori School are very carefully selected for suitability and compatibility with the work required. Each primary staff member is required have either a teaching degree of a Montessori Teaching Certificate, or a Level 3 Childcare Certificate. All staff is required to have first aid training and must provide a criminal record check by the Edmonton Police Department.

FRENCH

Each day, we do our routine work in English and French, and also learn some new French words relating to our monthly theme.

Our staff will make it a priority to do everything they can to make your child's stay a happy experience. Certainly, the child is our first priority. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact me, Kate Pearson, at the school at 780-435-6701 or at my home, 780-431-0660.

Kate Pearson For: Maria Montessori School Inc.

Rm 13/14, Sweet Grass School, 11351-31 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta T6J 4T6 T: 780-435-6701 (School) 780-431-0660 (Home) E: [email protected]