Through the efforts of parent and family volunteers, International Festival is a celebration of the great variety of cultures and nations represented at The Montessori House.

The Montessori House will hold its International Festival the afternoon of Saturday, May 22, 2010.  Please hold the date!

All parents are invited to a planning meeting at The Montessori House school on Wednesday, February 10, at 7 p.m.  .

 Please RSVP to the Anne Marie in the office at 201-816-8343.

The Montessori House school is open today.

Parents, please use your judgment about whether it is safe or convenient to bring your child to school through the snow.   Don’t hesitate to keep your children home, or arrive late  for school today.

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.

Everything is fine at The Montessori House today.  Despite the strong winds and rain, everyone is warm and dry inside the school.  Of course, we won’t be going outside to play today!

We have heard of power outages at schools in a few neighboring communities, but we have no problems here.  We are on our normal schedule.

Please take care on the roads today, and especially in our parking lot and during car line.

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.

Friday January 8: The Montessori House will hold its regularly scheduled classes.

A member of The Montessori House community has contracted a confirmed case of  Strep Throat.

All children at school on Tuesday January 5, 2010 may have been exposed.  Please monitor you child for symptoms.  The chart below provides a handy reference for Strep Throat and other common childhood ailments.

Please report any cases of the following to the office as soon as possible.