If your family is interested in exploring a scholarship (a.k.a. financial aid) at The Montessori House for 2013-14, now is the time to start the process. 

First, you apply to The Montessori House: please have a look at our Timing and Tips for 2013-14 Admissions.  If you haven’t visited the school, we suggest you call us to arrange a tour for yourself (we recommend you come for a tour during the school day without your child, if possible).  Please call us at 201-816-8343 to arrange a time.  

Starting now you can prepare your scholarship application on-line through School and Student Services by NAIS.  Your application needs to be completed by early February, 2013 (for September, 2013).  

NOTE: THE SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS FOR 2013-14 HAS CLOSED.

Scholarships are provided by The Friends of Montessori Foundation, and they consider your financial need as well as the depth of their own resources when making scholarship decisions.  

Generally, The Montessori House will offer your child a place for enrollment in January, and ask you to commit with a $750 Reservation Deposit.  You’ll hear about your scholarship (if any), at the same time we ask you sign an Enrollment Agreement and complete your tuition deposit (about mid-March).  Note, the award may be subject to verification of information you submitted; for example receipt and evaluation of 2012 tax returns that you may not have sent to SSS/NAIS before March.  

If Friends of Montessori Foundation cannot meet your calculated need, then you may choose to withdraw and receive a refund of your Reservation Deposit.  However, if the Foundation meets your need (or determines that you have not demonstrated a financial need), then you would not be eligible for a refund if you decide to withdraw.  

Of course, before deciding to reserve a place for your child, you can wait to hear from the Foundation regarding your scholarship.  But, without a reservation in place, by mid-March we may have filled up your preferred sessions for 2013-14.

Feel free to contact us by e-mail (admissions@themontessorihouse.com) or by phone (201-816-8343) with questions.

The Montessori House has regained electric power and plans to reopen on its regular schedule Monday, November 5th.  Right now we can confirm that we will have After Care, but we’re still waiting to hear if Ms. Lisa is available for Suzuki Violin after school.  

In case repairs elsewhere cause a further loss of electric power (which we consider possible but unlikely), we suggest parents check our phone message after 7 a.m. on Monday to confirm that school is open (201-816-8343).

As of Saturday morning, we again have power at The Montessori House.  We’re inspecting our facility and checking with teachers, and hope to re-open Monday on our normal schedule. 

By Sunday afternoon, parents will receive a special communication on our final plans for Monday, November 5th.

The Montessori House school is still closed as we continue to have no electric power on Friday, November 2nd.

The most up-to-date information continues to be found at 201-816-8343. We will update our information by 6:00 a.m. Monday. Please call 201-816-8343 after 6:00 a.m. Monday for the latest information.

Finally, we have extended our deadline for any payments that were due November 1st.  Please deliver November 1 payments on the first day school is open. 

 We hope all families are safe, and that your electric power (and ours!) is restored this weekend!

The Montessori House is still closed today,Wednesday, October 31st.  Happy Halloween! (Trick or Treat?) 

The school has not elecrtric power, and until power is restored we cannot re-open.

We have very limited access to the internet.  The most up-to-date information can be found by calling 201-816-8343 — we will update our message each day by 6 a.m. to let you know our status.  

For the most up-to-date information,  PLEASE CALL 201-816-8343

The Montessori House is closed today, Monday, October 29th. 

It is likely school will also be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, October 30th. 

We will provide an update on school closing as follows:

1. Here in NEWS on the website.
2. Via the phone message at 201-816-8343.
3. Via e-mail to our 2012-13 parents and teachers.  

In case you see no further update in NEWS, we’ve probably lost internet communications. 

Generally, for the most up-to-date information,  PLEASE CALL 201-816-8343.

On Monday, October 8, 2012 (Columbus Day), all Montessori classes are in session on the usual schedule.

Many school in NJ are in session.  Here’s a quick sampling:

• Tenafly Public
• Cresskill Public (minimum day)
• Paramus Public (minimum day)
• Elizabeth Morrow
• Bergen Academies
• Oakland Public

In fact, The Montessori House will be open Monday-Friday on the regular schedule all of October; the next holiday with a school closing is Thanksgiving — school is closed November 21, 22, 23 (Wed. Thur. Friday).

A recent essay in the Wall Street Journal ( “The Perils of Texting While Parenting“) starts out with this question:

Are too many parents [or nannies or babysitters] distracted by mobile devices when they should be watching their kids? A recent rise in injuries, reversing the longstanding trend, has doctors worried that the answer is yes.

At The Montessori House, we also think the answer is “yes”.  Whenever children are present — during classtime, or during After Care — our teachers may not use their devices.  And we strongly recommend that parents put their devices away once they leave the car during arrival or dismissal. 

If the adult is distracted, clearly the risk is increased. We know that drivers and pedestrians are distracted and more at risk when they use devices. It’s a fairly small leap to suggest that supervisors are distracted.

For example:

One afternoon at a swimming pool at a Foxwood Resort Casino hotel in Connecticut, Habibah Abdul-Hakeem was watching a friend’s 2-year-old son when another friend texted, asking how her day was going. She texted back that she would send him a photo of herself.

The child sat down on a step in the pool, slipped and began sinking … There was no lifeguard. The boy flailed for about a minute, drifting toward the deep end, then sank.   … About three minutes after she began fiddling with the phone, she dropped it.   Only then did she notice the young boy underwater. She plunged in and pulled him out.  Her calls for help brought a pool attendant who resuscitated the child, who recovered fully.Ms. Abdul-Hakeem told an emergency technician that she had taken her eyes off the boy for about 20 seconds  … security-camera footage suggested she didn’t look at him for more than three minutes.

Parents also get distracted:

Psychologist Kathy Hirsh-Pasek of Temple University recently had students observe 30 parents and their children in public places. In almost every case, she says, the parent interrupted an activity with the child to use a device. “In one case a parent let go of her kid’s hand in the middle of a big street in Philadelphia in order to check a text message,” she says.

All of us who care for children — parents, relatives, friends, babysitters, teachers, camp counselors — must manage distractions, and especially distractions we choose, like our devices.

If you haven’t settled on a school for your child 2 to 4 years old, we still have a handful of openings for 2012-13:

1. For children age 3 or 4 before October 1, 2012, we have openings in the afternoon session of our half-day Pre-Primary Montessori program (M-F, 12:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. with after school classes and After Care available until 6:00 p.m. ).   Tuition for the full year is $8,200.
2. For children who turn age 3 after October 1, 2012 and before April 1, 2013, we have openings in our half-day Montessori Stepping Stones program (early session meets 8:45 to 11:15 a.m., late session meets 11:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.).  We only accept children once they turn 2-1/2.  If your child starts during the school year (say, in January), then you will pay a reduced, pro-rated tuition, based on the number of days the program meets during the school year — full-year tuition is $9,300, pro-rated tuition from January 1 is $6,500.

Children who enroll at The Montessori House for 2012-13 will receive placement in the program of their choice for 2013-14.

If you would like to enroll your child for 2012-13 or have questions, please contact us at 201-816-8343 or at admissions@themontessorihouse.com.