Power has been restored to The Montessori House and school reopens on the regular schedule, Wednesday, November 2nd.

First, the parking lot is closed on the Knickerbocker Rd. side, as is the regular entrance to The Montessori House and the playground. These are closed pending tree trimming and clean-up, which we hope to complete this week. In the meantime, please enter the school through the Church/Tween Tot door off the east side of the parking lot closest to Riveredge. Note, Parent Visitation continues as scheduled, with this week’s Monday and Tuesday visits rescheduled for next week (Monday and Tuesday with the same appointment times).

Finally, we have moved the deadlines for tuition payment, school picture orders, and Scholastic book orders, all to Friday, November 4th.

The Nutrition Committee has been hard at work since mid-September serving tasty, healthy, and interesting daily snacks to all the children at The Montessori House.  Committee members generally each take a week of “snack duty”; “snack duty” rotates among committee members. 

Here’s what Polly provided the week of October 17th.  

• Monday: water crackers and provolone cheese, a bag of apples and yogurt, water crackers
• Tuesday: pear raisin bread pudding, raisins in mini box
• Wednesday: sweet potato puree with carrot and celery sticks
• Thursday: veggie sushi platter (from Mr. WOK)
• Friday: banana bread, banana

This week Clara brought us: bananas, popcorn chips, vegi platter, hummus, and organic applesauce.  And the Nutrition Committee also helped the children prepare pumpkin smoothies. 

We wonder what Benita will bring us next week!

If you’d like to sign-up for “snack duty”, join the Nutrition Committee via the Parents section of the website.

Sorry we’re so late with this, but we had a wonderful Fall Festival at The Montessori House on October 15!.  Thanks to the entire Special Events Committee and Committee Chair Celia P.

And thanks to all the Montessori House families who brought wonderful things to eat and drink, who helped set up the festival, supervise the kids’ activities, and helped clean-up at the end.

The Farmer’s Market raised enough money to donate through Heifer International the following animals: 

chickens, ducks and honeybees!

Thanks!

Just wanted to let our families know that The Montessori House is fine in the wake of Irene.   The playground’s a bit messy, but no worse than most people’s yards.  It should all be ship shape by the time teachers come on Sept. 6 and students on Sept. 12.  In fact, you’ll see that the parking lot has been patched, sealed, and re-striped!
We’ll see you in September!

Welcome to the over 80 families enrolled at The Montessori House for 2011-12.  Most of our sessions are full and have a wait list.  We still have a handful of openings in our Stepping stones program for children born after July 1, 2008.  If you’re interested please call or e-mail.

If your child is older, call us joining the wait list (your application will carry over for 2012-13. 

We continue to offer school tours until students arrive in September.  If you’d like to see the school “in action” (with students and teachers in the classroom), tours of the school will start again in October.  You may call for an appointment and also to join our mailing list so that we can keep you informed about our enrollment calendar for 2012-13.

Many of you attended our 2011 Summer Camp and enjoyed 5 weeks of fun and excitement.  Our themes this year included: The Silk Road, Tomie diPaola, The Nile, The Amazon Rain Forest, and US Westward Expansion! 

Some of the activities included:

• Chase by a grizzly bear.
• Painting a house.
• Trading on the Silk Road.
• Riding a Nile crocodile.
• Collecting nuts in the rain forest.

Luckily we had beautiful weather, so we could enjoy The Beach every day!

 Thanks to Ms. Hillarie, Ms. Deepthi, Ms. Christine and Ms. Maria, as well as to all our volunteers — Sydney, Morgan, Elle, Maxine, Maxie, Liel, Hailey, Isabelle, Madeline, Anne Maire, Olivia, and Isabella.

Last night’s Parent Night presentation (sponsored by Friends of Montessori Foundation) on Sexual Health was just fascinating.  Miriam Baker, parent of two Montessori house alumni and a noted expert on sexual health, led the discussion and addressed issues of great interest to anyone who is a parent or a spouse.  THANKS Miriam!

For more information about Miriam Baker and her practice in NYC and Englewood, NJ, or to contact her, you may visit the website of her professional practice: http://mbaker-ngrigorian.com/about/about.htm.

Classes at The Montessori House school are canceled for Wednesday, February 2, 2011. 

The office will be closed, all classes and tours are canceled.  We expect to return to our normal schedule and hours tomorrow.

Wow!  That ice is really something!

Classes at The Montessori House school are canceled for Thursday, January 27, 2011. 

The office will be closed, all classes and tours are canceled.  We expect to return to our normal schedule and hours on Friday, January 28.

Enjoy the winter weather!

The Montessori House will be closed Monday January 17, a national holiday to commemorate the birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.  Please remember to make other care arrangements for your children, and enjoy the 3-day weekend! Classes resume on our normal schedule Tuesday January 18.

For those not familiar with the Dr. King, he was an was an important civil rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s.  A leader in the movement to end racial segregation and discrimination in the United States, his most famous address was the “I Have A Dream” speech (” …I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character…”).  An African-American, and a Baptist minister, he was an advocate of non-violent protest, civil rights, peace and social justice.  He became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39.