2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.	Check-in at the Check-In Counter with Ms. Maria. Montessori House students receive a Festival Passport. Tour the world, taste the food, try the crafts at our 12 country booths.
3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.	Everyone gathers at the World Stage to hear and see music and dance performances from around the world. Note, the country booths will close during the performances.
4:15 p.m to 5:30 p.m.	As our one dozen country booths reopen, resume your round-the-world tour, tastings and crafts.

Traffic, Drop-off and Parking

The Festival will take place in and around The Montessori House playground.  We have limited parking available at the school, and much of this will be occupied by Festival presenters and performers.  Here are some rules and suggestions for drop-off and parking:

• All traffic through the parking lot will be one-way: enter only on River Edge and exit only on Knickerbocker.  Only exit to the right (north) on Knickerbocker, no left turn exit permitted. We will post a Stop sign at the walkway to the school entrance; please proceed slowly and with utmost caution through the parking lot (we  expect to have over 100 young children in the area, and sometimes they escape!)

• Once you enter from River Edge, we will have a designated area where you may drop off members of your family with their food contribution.  Please, young children must be dropped off with an adult companion, never alone and unaccompanied.

  • Deliver your food contribution to tables just east of the playground (by the Stepping Stones play area); volunteers will be ready with labels and instructions.

  • After drop-off, the driver should continue through the parking lot to the Knickerbocker exit.

• Exit to the right (north) on Knickerbocker.  No parking is permitted on Knickerbocker. Your best bet for street parking is to proceed to the light and turn right on River Edge:

  • You may park on River Edge after you’ve driven past the school parking lot entrance.  Please be mindful of bus stops, driveways, etc. and be attentive to posted parking rules.

  • You may park on the side streets off River Edge.  Again, be mindful of driveways, fire hydrants, posted parking rules, etc.

• When you leave the Festival, we recommend that your entire party walk to your car.  If you cross River Edge, please do so carefully, at the traffic light.  If you choose to pick-up your party in the parking lot, be warned: many people will be cleaning and packing and traffic through the lot will be very slow.

The weather forecast for Saturday is great.  We look forward to a wonderful time with you, your family and all your Montessori House friends!

We’re making appointments for Parent-Teacher conferences  on Thursday and Friday, May 20th and 21st.   We schedule 20-minute conferences between 8:00 a.m. and 11:20 a.m.   If you would like to schedule a discussion with your child’s teacher(s) please stop by the office during the school day or call 201-816-8343.

Reminder: No classes on the conference days  — Thursday May 20, and Friday May 21.

Don’t Forget … Parent Visitation May 10 through May 14

Also, for Pre-Primary and Kindergarten students, we still have spots open for Parent Visitation next week Monday, May 10 through Friday, May 14.  If  you would like to spend 30 minutes in the classroom participating in school with your child,  we have two 30-minute slots each morning and two 30-minute slots each afternoon each day.  However, we do limit the number of parents visiting to three at a time in each classroom.  If you’re interested in scheduling a classroom visit please stop by the office or call 201-816-8343.  (Note:  Stepping Stones does not participate in Parent Visitation.)

No classes are scheduled Monday, March 29 through Friday, April 9.

Please make other arrangements for your child’s care starting Monday, March 29.

Violin Group Classes commence Monday, March 1, 3 p.m.

If there’s sufficient interest among our families, starting Monday, March 1, The Montessori House will offer an after-school program of Suzuki violin instruction.

Please come to a meeting Monday, February 22 at 7 p.m. to meet our instructor, Lisa, and to learn more.

The program is open to children enrolled in Pre-Primary, Enrichment, and Kindergarten programs at the school, and will run through the end of the school year.  Instruction consists of  a weekly 30-minute group lesson (each Monday school is in session; 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm) and a weekly 15-minute private lesson (Monday afternoons at the school, or at the instructor’s home at other times, to be scheduled with the instructor).  Children who attend the morning Pre-Primary session may return Monday afternoon for violin.

Parents should have received a flyer or an e-mail with information on the program, the instructor, and an enrollment form.  If you cannot make the meeting on Monday, February 22 at 7 p.m., we will send out an e-mail reporting any significant points raised at the meeting.  Or if you need a copy of the flyer, please call the office at 201-816-8343.

You might find interesting this article “Is Your Kid Truly Allergic? Tests Add to Food Confusion” in today’s Wall Street Journal.  A few interesting observations from the article:

… A national sampling from 2005-2006, which also included blood tests, found that 9% of U.S. children had a sensitivity to peanuts, 7% to egg; 12% to milk and 5% to shrimp. But experts believe that only about one-tenth of those children will actually have allergic reactions to those foods. Even the true rate of fatal reactions to food allergies is hard to gauge: Estimates range from as low as five to as high as 200 per year.

… Blood tests measure the level of antibodies, called immunogloblin E (IgE), a body makes to a particular food. But having IgE antibodies doesn’t mean that a person will actually have an allergic symptom when they encounter it.

Skin-prick tests are slightly more predictive, but there, too, a red wheal in response to a skin prick doesn’t necessarily mean that a child will have an actual allergic reaction to that food.

… Allergy experts can make some guesses about the likelihood of a reaction based on test results, and they are starting to establish cutoff thresholds. In a skin-prick test, for example, a wheal smaller than 5 millimeters in diameter indicates a slim chance of a real allergy, says Dr. Sampson; a wheal greater than 10 millimeters is generally a good chance.

… researchers in Manchester, England, reported that when 79 children who tested positive for peanut IgE antibodies were given food challenges, 66 of them could eat peanuts safely.

… “Are these blood tests being overused? Possibly. Misinterpreted? Absolutely,” says Robert Wood, director of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

… It’s estimated that 80% of children with allergies to milk, eggs, wheat, diary and soy outgrow them, usually by about age 5. But only about 20% of those with allergies to peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish do.

As discussed elsewhere on our website (under Community), based on financial need, the Friends of Montessori Foundation (FoM)  provides scholarships for tuition at The Montessori House.

You may apply on-line at www.sss.nais.org in the “Families” section.

One family did try to apply on-line recently, but could not find FoM.  The problem they identified has been resolved (and thanks for pursuing it with us).   Before you apply, please contact the school office for the proper code for the foundation, then all should proceed smoothly.

The Montessori House is accepting enrollment for our 2010 Summer Camp.

Enrollment is open to students enrolled in 2009-10 or those entering our Pre-Primary or Kindergarten programs for 2010-11.  Enrollment is limited to 25 and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Camp runs for five (5) weeks starting June 28, 2010,  Monday- Friday 9 a.m. to  1 p.m.  (no camp Independence Day, Monday, July 5).

Please click here for information on camp fees and and enrollment application.

The Montessori House will be closed Monday January 18, 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 19.

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.

The Center for Food Action (CFA) in Englewood is a very effective antidote to some of the pains of poverty in our area. In order to provide sufficient food to families in need during this holiday season, the CFA is reaching out to local communities and asking for food donations.

The Montessori House will collect food for the food drive from Monday, November 16, through Friday, November 20, 2009. We encourage all Montessori House families to participate in this worthy effort by donating any one of the food items from the list below. We will deliver the food to the CFA Friday afternoon on November 20. Please consider having your child assist you in your choice of food at the supermarket so s/he can better understand the purpose of this food drive.  A seed of giving, sewn in the heart of a child, cultivates a garden of kindness for years to come.

We thank you in advance for your donation. – - The Montessori House

(Follow these links to see the list of most-needed food items for Thanksgiving and overall)

The Nutrition Committee would like to take advantage of our diverse family here at The Montessori House.

If you have any healthy, ethnic snack ideas for the children, we would love to hear about them.  With your help, we can provide our children with an even more interesting and varied  snack program.  

OR

Perhaps you have a special culinary talent or a great food craft for the children  They love it when parents present in class!   In the past parents have presented:

• Sushi making
• Fruit Kabobs
• Pizza Prep

Other ideas include Cannoli for Kids, Smoothies…You get the idea!!

If you have ideas and want to participate, get in touch with Elia  F.  [Use your ID and password to log on to the Parent section, go to Parent Contact and search for Elia (be sure to search in Name, not Child’s Name).  There you’ll find her e-mail and her phone number.)